


Somebody That I Used to Know

by Rose_SK



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: F/M, Not Canon Compliant, OOC Goddess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-01 06:12:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 58,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14514252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_SK/pseuds/Rose_SK
Summary: When Lucifer Morningstar finds out that his ex-girlfriend is still alive after months of believing she was dead, he is determined to find her. Nothing could have prepared him for the events that unfolded next. And they say that surprise is the tool of the devil...





	1. Prologue

“What on earth is that?” Lucifer asked, looking at the charcoaled crust of what looked like a dish his mother had prepared for him. 

“Cheesy noodles. It's what mothers make to bring their children joy”, she replied, “I saw it on the flat-screen”

“That explains all the cheese.” Lucifer stood up from his couch and went to pour himself a drink. 

“Lucifer, I wish, with all my being, that things could go back to the way things were. With you and all my children again in Heaven. I want what your father took from me. I want my home back”, at this stage, Lucifer thought that his mother’s eyes would start welling up, but that would imply that she actually cared, “but I know that's not possible. So, I want to do what I can to be a good mother to you here, on Earth.”

“It's too late. You abandoned me, Mum” Lucifer took a few challenging paces towards his mother, his tone heavy with bitterness, “you just stood by and watched as I was cast out. Thrown into Hell and vilified for all eternity. There aren't enough cheesy noodles in the universe to fix all that, I'm afraid” Those last words were spoken with a tinge of sadness. Unable to face his mother a second longer, Lucifer went onto the balcony of his penthouse, looking up at the starry sky. He sighed inertly when he heard his mother join him. 

“I might not be able to convince you that I am truly sorry for everything that happened to you. But maybe, I can show you how sorry I am by helping you be happy again. That’s a mother’s number one priority: to make sure her children are happy” Lucifer smiled humourlessly. 

“And what information could you possibly have that would give me the key to my happiness? Do you have a way to make me forget all those horrible years spent in hell wondering why mum and dad hated me so much that they cast me out like I was trash?” Lucifer’s mother looked at him with a small smile on his lips, making Lucifer wish he could wipe it off her face. 

“No, nothing that complicated I’m afraid. I know where Grace is…” 

Those words had the effect of a punch to the gut for Lucifer. He was uncertain how to react, so he merely stared at his mother blankly. It all felt like a nightmare, and maybe if he pinched himself he would wake up… He was disappointed when pinching amounted to nothing. 

“Devil got your tongue, sweetheart?”

“How dare you use her name to manipulate me? How dare you reduce that name to a tool to get what you want?” Lucifer’s voice was dangerously low and he knew for a fact that his eyes were flaring, but his mother did not seem fazed by his reaction. Her expression merely changed to one of mock surprise.

“I’m sorry darling, I thought you would be pleased to know that Grace was still alive. From what I’ve gathered, they told you she was dead…” Lucifer’s hand shot up to grab his mother by the throat and his face was merely inches away from hers. 

“Do not joke about matters you don’t understand. If you are lying to me about that I will send you back to hell here and now, I won’t hesitate. And no amount of apologies will change that…” 

“I’m not lying”, his mother assured, hiding the fact that she struggled to breathe, “I know where she is. I could give you her address, you could see her again… in return, you don’t send me back to hell. How does that sound?” Lucifer stared into his mother’s eyes intently, hoping to find a trace of lie in them. 

“You are telling the truth…”

“Yes, son. I want you to be happy and I want to be close to you. Just take this as a token of my honesty…” Lucifer felt his stomach churn. “So, are you interested?” 

Lucifer thought about it, letting his mother go. He thought he was over the whole story, he thought he had managed to find peace with the fact that Grace was in a better place after the horrible things that had happened to her. To find out that Grace was alive… well, it filled Lucifer’s heart with hope, something he had not felt in a while. And it felt good. It felt good to know that good old dad’s plan had not turned out the way he had intended. Grace was alive, how he was not quite sure, but she was still alive. 

“Yes” Lucifer finally said, his voice raw with emotion, “tell me where she is”


	2. Chapter 1

Lucifer parked the Corvette along Oak Hills Drive, about an hour away from Los Angeles. It had not been the most entertaining drive, but that could be down to the fact that Lucifer had been too busy apprehending his meeting with Grace. His heart raced in his chest as he approached 338, Oak Hills Drive. The house was a typical suburban estate, the type of house you could see a married couple with 2.3 children and a dog live in. A dark blue Volvo was parked in the driveway, indicating that someone was in the house. Lucifer hoped for his mother’s sake that she had given him the right address. 

As he approached the house, he heard the screeching sound of tyres from around the corner followed by police sirens. Soon after, four police cars whooshed past Lucifer and stopped right outside the house next door to where Lucifer initially meant to head. To his surprise, he saw Detective Decker come out of one of the cars. 

“Detective, what a lovely surprise” he called out to her. Decker spun around and looked at Lucifer with an incredulous look on her face.

“How the hell did you know where you had to go? I didn’t even contact you!”

“Pleasure to see you as well, my dear” Lucifer sarcastically remarked, “but sadly I’m not here to help you out, I am here to pay a visit to the neighbour. Now if you’ll excuse me…” Lucifer started heading for house number 338, ignoring the detective’s baffled questions. Having reached the front door, Lucifer knocked three times, waiting patiently for someone to open the door and feeling like he was about to faint. He tried to hide his nervousness as best as he could, hoping he was successful in the process. The couple of seconds he had to wait felt like an eternity. The door finally opened to reveal a young woman with curly brown hair, looking rather intimidated and confused. 

“I heard the police cars outside, has something happened to Jane?” The worry was clear in her voice, not that Lucifer noticed. His throat had gone dry and the world felt like it was spinning. He could not believe that his mother had been telling him the truth. Grace was standing right in front of him, looking exactly like Lucifer remembered her: beautiful and pure. 

“Sir? Is everything alright?”, her soft voice asked, her momentary concern for her neighbour obviously gone. 

“It’s really you… I never thought I would see you again, Grace” Lucifer said in a whisper. His heart sank in his chest when he noticed the confused look in Grace’s eyes and it broke when she spoke her next words: 

“I’m awfully sorry but, do we know each other?” Lucifer was about to reply when something about Grace caught his eye: the ring on her left ring finger. The diamond dazzled him like it was mocking him. 

“You are… you’re married?” The woman looked at her hand as if to make sure that the ring was still there.

“Eh… yes, I am. Are you okay? You look very pale. May I offer you a drink of water?” There were so many things that Lucifer wished to say but simply did not manage to get out. One thing he was certain of, he would not miss the opportunity to be around Grace after believing for months that she was dead. He agreed to the drink of water and was invited in. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me” he apologised, realising that the situation would be far more complicated than he had anticipated. In his mind, they both would have been in her bed at that point of the meeting. He had not considered the possibility of her not remembering him. 

“Don’t you worry about that” she reassured him, smiling shyly in his direction, “I assume you are with the LAPD?” 

“What?” 

“The LAPD? That’s why you came to knock on my door, because something happened to my neighbour Jane?” There it was again, her concerned voice. She poured some fresh water in a glass and handed it to her guest, expecting Lucifer to tell her something meaningful about whatever was happening next door. But all he could do was stare. How cruel could life be to him? He had found her, and she did not have any recollection of what they used to have. What sweet, sweet agony; even the devil had rarely been so diabolic.

“I think we will have to wait until my colleague comes around with more information. In the meantime, eh… how about you tell me more about yourself? You know, we need to rule out any potential suspects and neighbours come pretty high on the list…” 

“Oh… of course, well …”

“Grace, honey? Who the hell is that man and why are the LAPD here?” Lucifer felt a cold shiver run down his spine at the sound of the male voice interrupting his and Grace’s conversation. Her husband, no doubt. Lucifer had to contain his rage and jealousy so he did not do anything unfortunate to this man. 

“Don’t worry Jake, I’m fine. I think something happened to Jane…” Grace and her husband looked at each other knowingly and he seemed to catch the meaning of what she was implying. 

“Oh”, the man named Jake looked at Lucifer and extended his hand for him to shake, “good morning detective, Jake Hoffmann. This is my wife, Gr…”

“We have already met” Lucifer interrupted, “now I am very curious as to what you two know that the LAPD doesn’t. Go on now, spill the beans” Not being alone with Grace in the same room was enough for Lucifer to be his old self again. He desperately needed to keep up appearances and find a way to speak to Grace alone. He needed to understand why she did not remember him – or at least, if she did, why she did not acknowledge him at all.

“Well, we moved in six months ago, right after we got married and Jane and I were friends from the get go. She’s a lovely woman, empathetic, shy, quiet. And she makes delicious banana cakes. I often went round to her house for a cup of coffee in the afternoon when I was not working at the hospital. And one day when I was there I…” Grace stopped mid-sentence, obviously hesitant to carry on. She shot her husband an insecure look, which was met by what was certainly meant to be an encouraging nod. 

“One day, I saw that she was bruised and I asked her what had happened, and she told me that she had fallen down the stairs in the morning. Being a nurse, I recognised that the bruises could not have come from a fall… someone had obviously inflicted them to her”

“Her husband, I presume?” Lucifer asked. Grace simply nodded. “And, did you go back to hers after that?”

“Yes, every day to check that she was alright and… well, I told her that if she ever felt like leaving the house for a bit I would gladly drive her to Los Angeles and spend the day there with her, maybe even a night in a hotel, my treat. She merely smiled and said she would take me up on the offer. That was just last week. I haven’t heard from her since then and when I knocked on her door no one would answer” Grace’s eyes welled up with tears, and Lucifer felt the urge to embrace her and make her feel better. Like he used to do. 

“It’s okay, honey, you did what you could to help her” Jake shushed her, kissing her temple softly. It took every ounce of Lucifer’s will power not to snap. 

“Although you two make a disgustingly adorable picture, I believe that…” A knock on the door followed by LAPD open the door interrupted Lucifer, who was starting to get annoyed with constantly being disturbed. Thankfully, Jake left the room to welcome Detective Decker and two other police officers into his home. 

“Mrs Hoffmann?” Grace looked up at the detective, “Chloe Decker from the LAPD. I am sorry to be the bringer of bad news today…” The rest of the sentence hung in the air, but Grace understood and tried to swallow back her tears without success. “Jane Augusto was found dead in her bed and your husband told us that you and she were quite close…”

“The husband did it, abusive little bastard hit his wife to death or did something else to end her life” Lucifer interjected, earning himself a deadly glare from Chloe. Not that he particularly cared. “Don’t look at me like that, this lovely couple here told me all about this woman’s life before you got here” 

“Hang on, how did you know who to question?” Chloe asked.

“I’m always a step ahead of you, Decker, just get used to it” Lucifer drooled, flashing her a satisfied smile which made the detective roll her eyes in annoyance. 

“Lucifer, we really need to…”

“Lucifer?” Grace asked, suddenly looking at Lucifer intently. For some reason, he thought that she would remember everything, jump at him and kiss him with all the passions of heaven and hell combined, but all he got was “like the devil?” Hiding his disappointment behind a wall of sarcasm he replied: 

“Yes, Lucifer like the devil, why are you people always so keen on stating the obvious?” 

“I’m sorry I… just thought it was odd…” Grace looked genuinely apologetic. 

“Don’t worry, his whole persona is odd. You get used to it after a while. Lucifer, we need to get going come on!” Too distracted to even dignify the detective’s comment with an answer, Lucifer looked at Grace one last time and followed Chloe outside. As she turned around to, no doubt, have a chat about the case, Lucifer shook his head and went back inside, not heeding Decker calling his name. When he reached the kitchen once again, he placed both his hands on Grace’s arms, holding her still as he spoke to her.

“Grace, it’s me, Lucifer. You know me, we were together for three years. You can’t tell me you don’t remember our time together, even if it ended badly and you wish you could forget…”

“LUCIFER, what the hell are you doing?”, Decker shouted at him.

“Hey you! Get your hands off my wife now!” Jake’s futile attempts to pull Lucifer away from him did not bother the king of hell in the least. His focus was entirely on Grace.

“You can’t be his wife! A year ago, you and I were still together” Grace furrowed her eyebrows at that comment and managed to wriggle herself free from Lucifer’s embrace. 

“Not that this is any of your business, but a year ago I was in a coma. I was involved in a car crash that nearly cost me my life. When I woke up, my childhood sweetheart Jake was at my bed and proposed to me and as soon as I got better we got married roughly six months later. I’m sorry if I’m not the woman you are looking for and I sincerely hope that you find her, but… this woman is not me” Lucifer’s eyes were wide upon hearing that revelation. He had to make her understand somehow that she had been set up. 

“No! This can’t be true, a year ago you were taken away from me. By Uriel! Remember? And…” Suddenly remembering that people were present, Lucifer decided not to reveal too much, “he took you away from me. He told me you were dead! I’ve been living for the past year thinking that you were dead, and now I found you and you can’t remember a single thing?” Grace looked in the direction of detective Decker, who stood speechless behind the bar separating Lucifer, Grace and Jake from the rest of them. 

“I’m sorry, but I’ve known Jake since high school. And we were in the car together when it crashed”

“So how come he came out of that crash with seemingly not even a scratch and you were in a coma?” Lucifer was aware that he was raising his voice, but it seemed to be the only way that Grace would understand that her life for the past year had been a masquerade. 

“I had two broken ribs, a fractured femur and two broken arms. And don’t you think I wish I was in a coma and not Grace?” Jake shouted back, shoving Lucifer forcefully. The latter felt his anger level rise and had it not been for detective Decker coming between him and that worm of a man, he would have probably punched him hard enough to knock him out. 

“Lucifer, stop! You need to calm down and come back to your senses. I don’t know what this story is all about, but you clearly have the wrong woman here” Chloe looked at him with sad, compassionate eyes. She didn’t understand, and how could she really? How could anyone understand the pain and suffering that Uriel had caused? Unable to be around anyone, Lucifer stormed off back to his car. His mother must have known that Grace did not remember him at all. And she would get to hear a piece of her son’s mind for not warning him.


	3. Chapter 2

“MOTHER” Lucifer stormed into his penthouse, rage having completely taken over. “No point in hiding! I know that you knew all along Grace would not remember me…”

“I did give you the right address, did I not?” his mother’s calm voice replied. Lucifer spun around and found her sitting behind his bar, sipping a glass of his favourite Scotch. As his mother was about to take a sip of her drink, Lucifer’s eyes flared red with anger. 

“You knew how much she meant to me. And you knew how much this would hurt me, why would you do this to your own son? Was your intention not to make me happy?” Lucifer’s voice was getting louder and louder with each word he said. 

“Of course that was my intention, my Angel” his mother walked toward him and took his hand in hers, but Lucifer quickly withdrew them. “Lucifer, you have to believe me I was unaware that she would not recognise you. I mean, who could forget a face as memorably handsome as yours?” she asked rhetorically while softly placing her hand on his cheek. 

“Firstly, that is creepy coming from your own mother” Lucifer pretended to shiver in disgust while stepping back from his treacherous mother, “and secondly, you genuinely did not know?” 

 

“No. I did not. I knew where she was and I knew that she meant a lot to you. I never expected her to have that effect on you, but here you go” Lucifer decided to believe her and sank into his couch, sighing heavily as he buried his face into his hands. That morning had been a rollercoaster of emotions and something told him that this whole quest to get Grace to remember him was going to be an adventure. But he had to try, for her sake, as well as for his. And for the sake of everything they had lost and everything that could have been. 

“Lucifer, I’m sorry things turned out the way they did”

“You say that as if I was giving up on her already”

“Well aren’t you? Are there not plenty of fish in the sea? You are the devil, you could have anyone” 

“I know that, mother” Lucifer stood up to go make himself a drink, wishing his mother would just disappear for a couple of hours while he gathered his wits, “but you see, I want this specific person. And what the devil wants, the devil gets” 

“To me, you sound more like one of those very young human children. They pout when they don’t get what they want and throw a tantrum until they get it” Lucifer downed his drink and slammed the glass forcefully onto the counter, cracking it in the process. His glare got even darker if that was possible.

“You don’t understand, do you? Grace is not just anyone. She used to be mine and when I thought she was dead I vowed that I would never get involved with another woman to save me the pain. I can get many one-night stands, sometimes several in one night” He proceeded to take a drink straight out of the bottle this time, “but one-night stands have never meant anything to me. Just sex. A distraction. Grace meant something. I cared for her” 

Lucifer was aware that displaying his weakness to his possibly manipulative mother might not have been the best of ideas, but he was too upset to care. 

“Anyway, I would not expect you to understand. The only person that ever mattered to you was your own selfish self” Not even caring about what his mother had to say next, Lucifer disappeared onto his balcony, looking over the roofs of the Los Angeles sky-scrapers. His eyes progressively wandered up until he was staring at the slightly cloudy sky. 

“I knew you were cruel, dad, but I sure as Hell never thought you’d be sadistic” 

000000000000000000 

Grace’s morning had been emotional to say the least. She had lost her good friend Jane and was heartbroken at the thought that she knew what had been going on behind closed doors, but she had never attempted to do anything about it. She could have called the police, she could have told someone. Jake had advised her not to get involved, because if Jane’s husband found out he might come for Grace next. Which might have been the case, but Grace would never find out. She had let a woman die and she felt responsible. 

Feeling an anxiety attack creeping up on her earlier, the young woman had decided to flick through her wedding photo album. Those pictures of her and Jake and their families always brought a smile to her face, even if she could not remember many of them. Her coma had made her forget almost everything, but with the caring attention of her husband she hoped that she would be able to get some of her memories back very soon. 

Her thoughts turned again to that strange man from the LAPD she had met only hours earlier. She felt sad for him; he looked genuinely upset when she told him that she was not the woman he had lost a year ago. However, she was convinced that God had put him on her path for a reason. God was trying to tell her that not only she suffered from not remembering, but the people around her, people who she loved, also suffered from her not being able to recall them or the things they used to do together. So, Grace had decided to take matters into her own hands and go on a quest to summon her past back into her own mind, to find herself again. 

Once she finished flicking through her wedding album, Grace picked up a brown album that read “Graduation 2007”. She smiled at the thought of seeing pictures of her and her high school sweetheart Jake at their graduation. She opened the album and looked at several pictures of her husband’s younger self with people who were no doubt his parents and siblings. Then several pictures of Jake and his friends followed, but Grace seemed to feature in none of them. This she began to find odd. Looking into the photo album cabinet, she checked for a second graduation album with pictures of her and Jake, but the one on her lap seemed to be the only one of that kind. 

Grace grabbed an album that said Europe 2010, hoping she would find holiday pictures of her and Jake, but she was unlucky there as well. The only albums she featured in were her wedding and honeymoon albums. Her heart started racing in her chest: could Jake have been lying to her about her past? No, he would never have. There was surely an explanation for this.

“Honey, I made you a cup of tea for your nerves. Oh, you’re looking at our wedding photos” Jake noticed excitedly, smiling at her fondly. Grace looked at him over her shoulder and her husband noticed straight away that something was wrong. He went to sit on the couch next to her, placing the hot drink on the coffee table and taking her hand in his. 

“Babe, what’s wrong?”

“I’ve looked through other photo albums. And I’m in none of the pictures…” Jake looked rather surprised at her comment. 

“Well… I’m sure you must have missed a couple in that case…”

“No Jake, I didn’t. I’m not in any graduation photos, I’m not in any holiday photos. There are three albums dedicated to your childhood and teenage years, but none that relate to mine. The only albums I feature in are the wedding and honeymoon albums” Grace tried to read her husband’s expression, but he merely smiled sadly at her.

“Darling, this was one of the aspects of your past I did not want you to remember. Your parents they were… not very nice people and… well, they never really approved of me. So, they would not let you go to your graduation, yet alone with me. And they refused to let you out of the country to go on holiday with anyone…” The explanation seemed to make sense, but Grace still had doubts. 

“In 2010 I would have been 20 years old. Are you telling me that my parents forbade me to leave the country?” 

“Well yes. Until your 21st birthday, your parents would not give you any sort of independence” Jake’s hand pulled Grace closer to him, however the young woman did not feel like being comforted. She had a feeling that something did not add up in his story. 

“What about the following years until my wedding? After I turned 21? I’m still not in any other album…”

“Honey, please! The reason I’m taking this slowly is because your life up to now… well, it has been hard and not very pleasant. All I wanted was for you to start a new life, with new people and a loving husband. I wanted your new life to be filled with love and happiness… to shelter you from the pain you have faced for far too long”

Grace looked into her husband’s loving eyes and although she was convinced that he genuinely meant what he was saying, she could not understand that he was trying to keep her from knowing who she was. She pulled herself away from him and spoke sternly: 

“Shelter me from the pain? I lost a friend to domestic abuse today. I felt empathy for a man who lost what sounded like the love of his life in a tragic accident and saw his heart break when I told him that I was not that woman. I beat myself up every day because I don’t remember half the people you introduce me to. I feel silly for not remembering anything about my past, and I want to know! I feel bad for hurting everyone by not recalling their faces, or names, or what they were to me before I had the accident. So, don’t you dare say that you are trying to protect me, because you can’t” 

Tears had started welling up in Grace’s eyes as she told Jake how she felt. Her husband seemed to feel her pain, but he did not understand it. No one ever could understand it. Gently, Jake pulled her back onto the couch and handed Grace her tea along with the pill she had to take daily. Anti-depressants.

“Take this, sweetheart, you’ll soon forget about the pain”

These words triggered something in Grace. She did not want to forget the pain, she was made to. What if those pills were what kept her from remembering? Or at least, from actively trying to remember? She did not want this artificial kind of happiness. She wanted to know everything about her past, the good and the bad, and learn to appreciate what she had and find happiness in her new life. None of that could be achieved if she carried on taking those pills. Squeezing it tightly in the palm of her hand, Grace brought her hand to her mouth and pretended to swallow the pill with a sip of tea. She smiled softly and kissed Jake’s lips, taking advantage of his closed eyes to discreetly place the pill inside the pocket of her cardigan. 

“Thank you for always taking care of me, love” she whispered tenderly. 

“Always, sweetheart”, he replied.


	4. Chapter 3

Lucifer was relieved that he had managed to escape his mother’s presence for a couple of hours. Mazikeen, who had recently returned, sat down next to him and served them both a strong drink. 

“You look lost in thought”, she commented casually, “still trying to figure out how the detective is immune to your powers?” 

Lucifer did not answer, not even sarcastically as was his usual. This had Maze worried ever so slightly, although she would never show it. In an attempt to catch her King’s attention, she snipped her fingers right before his nose which made him blink as if he came out of trance. 

“Finally!” Maze said, rolling her eyes, “care to tell me what has got the King of Hell himself so distracted?” Mazikeen had been expecting many different answers and reactions, but she had certainly not anticipated to see a look of utter distress on her master’s face. His eyes looked at her uncomprehendingly, almost imploringly… Maze knew instantly that something was up. 

“I found her, Maze… Grace” 

Had this been a cartoon, Maze’s lower jaw would have hit the floor in surprise. She wondered for a second if she was dreaming, or if Lucifer was pranking her. He would have had her good and proper. But something about his expression told her that he was being serious and Maze did not like what she was hearing in the least. 

“Well, that’s good news, is it not?” she asked carefully. Lucifer’s distraught expression changed into that of blind rage, his eyes flaring red and his true form appearing from under the prison of flesh he inhabited. Even fearless Maze backed away from her master in fear. 

“IT IS ANYTHING BUT GOOD NEWS” Lucifer roared. For a second, Maze could see the flames of hell surround her and hear the cries of help of the tortured souls that she had tormented for years. Lucifer seemed to be taking calming breaths and slowly came back to his human appearance, which had Maze relieved. He stared at her with the look of a lost puppy. “She doesn’t remember me” he explained, his voice sounding like it would break but he managed to supress the rush of emotion overwhelming him. 

“What?” Maze knew she had to tread carefully, for she did not fancy unleashing the beast again. It was in moments like these that she was reminded just how powerful her King was, and that she was subordinate to him, both hierarchically and physically, too. 

“I found out where she stayed and payed her a visit. She did not have any recollection of me, of us. And she’s married to this flaccid joke of a human being. They looked happy together, Maze, but he is lying to her. He invented a whole new life for her…” Lucifer downed his drink and threw the empty tumbler at the wall behind the bar, causing it to shatter. Maze did not even flinch. 

“There is no way for me to make her see that he is lying to her. I never thought that I got my cruelty from my dad” Lucifer laughed disdainfully at this last comment and paced around the Lux, Maze’s eyes following his every move. She was unsure what to say. 

“Maybe if she is faced with hard-on evidence. Like a picture of you two, or… a person who was around you all the time. Someone like me, for example” Lucifer suddenly stopped pacing and looked at Maze but before he could say anything, his phone rang in his pocket. Noticing that it was the detective calling, Lucifer put on his usual flirty voice:

“Hello detective, what a delightful day to hear the sound of your voice” he greeted her, almost hearing her roll her eyes at him. 

“Always a charmer, Lucifer”

“Well you know what they say, Decker, the three ways in which the devil tempts you are a threat, a promise or seduction…”

“Whatever. Listen we need to talk about what happened yesterday with Mrs Hoffmann” Hearing this name made Lucifer shiver disapprovingly, but he held his tongue, “I don’t know how, but I think you may be onto something.” This information piqued Lucifer’s interest and he motioned for Maze to listen in to the conversation by putting the detective on speaker. 

“What a surprise, my instincts were right once again. I should really get a permanent job as a detective don’t you think?” Chloe ignored his comment and carried on. 

“I just got a call from her this morning. She believes that her husband is trying to drug her so she does not remember her past, but she is unsure whether his intentions are good like he claims they are, or if there is something else behind his behaviour. So, she asked me to look into her past for her…”

“Well I am your man for the job, detective. That is, if you are ready to admit that I was telling the truth yesterday” 

“I don’t know what to believe at this point, but it is definitely intriguing. And I have no idea how you are yet again involved in one of my cases, but here we go. But hear this: she went through her photo albums to try and piece her past back together, see if any of the photos would trigger a memory: she features only in her wedding and honeymoon pictures. She could find no other picture of her and her so-to-say high school sweetheart, which I think is definitely suspicious” 

“Of course she would not be in any of his pictures, because she is in mine” Decker went silent for a second, unsure how to react to Lucifer’s revelation. 

“You have pictures of her and you and you’re only telling me this now?” 

“Don’t sound so irritated, detective, I was myself very confused yesterday. I understand now why humans say that love is blind… Had it not been for Maze’s lucidity I myself would have taken a couple more hours to get that far”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake Lucifer, just. bring. the stupid photos! Now” Decker ordered. 

“Well I do enjoy when you get all…” but the detective hung up before Lucifer had a chance to finish his sentence. He flashed Maze what she could only describe as an excited smile. 

“Go on then, Maze, we have pictures to find” 

00000000000

“There’s no doubt: this is definitely her. I didn’t take you for a selfie person, Lucifer…” Chloe remarked with a mocking smile on her face, which Lucifer decided to ignore. 

“I look dashing, do I not? The camera definitely agrees with me” Chloe rolled her eyes. 

“If eye rolling burned calories you would be my gym, Lucifer” 

“I offer other kinds of physical exercises if you are interested…” he replied, winking at Decker seductively. She shot him a knowing look. 

“Flirting with people is truly your way to keep up appearances, isn’t it?” 

“Whatever you mean by that, I don’t really care nor have I got any time to dwell on it. Now back to business… what do we do about Mr Hoffmoron?” Maze let out an amused snort, while the detective shot Lucifer an exasperated look. 

“I guess we first call Grace in for questioning, see if she remembers the photo and when it was taken, that sort of stuff” Decker suggested. 

“What, treat her like a criminal? Don’t you think she would feel intimidated if you asked her to come in for questioning?” Lucifer felt oddly protective of Grace. Old habits die hard. 

“I suppose you’re right. I’ll give her a call and organise a day when we can meet her, maybe in a coffee shop, somewhere neutral” Decker took out her phone as she spoke and dialled Grace’s number. She waited a couple of seconds before she started speaking. 

“Mrs Hoffmann, hi it’s detective Decker from the LAPD… I am well, thank you, yourself?... I’m glad to hear…” 

“Oh, enough chit-chat already” Lucifer snapped, earning himself a glare from Chloe.   
“No, sorry Mrs Hoffmann my colleague is being awfully rude. I have some information that I believe you would be interested in. May I suggest that we meet for coffee in Los Angeles to discuss this?... I am afraid that this is something I would like you to see rather than hear… alright, Café Verona on South La Brea Avenue, we will meet you there today at 2pm… the pleasure is all mine, Mrs Hoffmann, see you soon”

“You could really stop calling her that, I have a feeling she won’t be Mrs Hoffmoron for very long…” Chloe put her phone back in her pocket and grabbed her jacket from off the back of her desk chair. 

“Do me a favour Lucifer, when we meet that woman please keep your horrible comments to yourself. Come on, she’s meeting us at that café during her lunch break we have to be there in twenty minutes. Mazikeen, you should probably go back to Lux…” Maze looked at Lucifer wearily, hoping he would let her tag along, but her King made no motion so she merely rolled her eyes and left in a huff. 

“Right detective, what are we waiting for?” Lucifer asked, excitement clear in his tone. 

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“Awfully sorry for the delay, detectives, I got held back at the hospital” Grace hurried to get settled and only noticed the presence of Lucifer when she looked up. She felt herself blush slightly, not expecting him to still be involved with this case. 

“Don’t you worry about that, Mrs Hoffmann…”

“Grace” the young woman corrected, “Mrs Hoffmann makes me sound so… old” Grace found herself wanting to say so weird but she caught herself right on time. “Did you find something, detective?” she quickly added, feeling rather nervous. 

“We did, actually” Lucifer spoke this time. His smile was rather disturbing considering the situation, but Grace put it down to some weird kind of coping mechanism. She had seen worse as a psychiatric nurse. “Your husband is the exemplification of the proverbial liar, liar, pants on fire…”

“Lucifer!” Chloe reprimanded sternly, “this is not what we agreed on!”

At the revelation, Grace felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She did not want to believe it, there had to be an explanation. Jake did not have an ounce of bad will in him. Then again, Grace could not really be certain of that anymore. 

“What did you find?” she asked, ignoring the two detectives’ bickering. Both their eyes were back on her, the female looking rather sad and apologetic and Lucifer looking… pleased. Without a word, he slid what seemed to be a picture towards Grace. She dared not look at it straight away, but eventually leaned forward ever so slightly to see past the reflection of the light making it unable for her to distinguish what the picture represented. Her breath caught in her throat when she realised what she was looking at. The picture featured her and Lucifer. She covered her mouth with her hand in shock, feeling tears well up in her eyes. 

“Is this… is that…” 

“That, my dear, is us. Just like I tried to tell you yesterday in your kitchen: your husband was lying! This picture, as you can see by the date at the back, was taken a little bit over a year ago, January 2016”

“My car crash happened in May 2016…” Grace whispered. Detective Decker looked at her seriously and took a note of the dates. 

“Do you remember taking that picture at all?” she asked her. Grace looked first at the blonde detective, then at Lucifer, who was staring at her expectantly. She felt under pressure to remember so that she did not have to witness this man’s sadness again, but no matter how long she stared and tried to remember, she could not. She shook her head and swallowed back the tears that threatened to flow down her cheeks. None of this made any sense to her. Two days ago, she was so certain about everything, and here she was today doubting her very marriage over a single picture. She noticed Lucifer’s face fall. 

“Do you remember anything involving you and your husband that might have taken place in January 2016? Maybe he told you something?” the blonde detective prodded some more, but Grace shook her head harder. 

“No! Nothing. He told me nothing. He… he doesn’t want me to remember my traumatising past, you see. Or so he claims, at least. I don’t know what to believe anymore” she concluded, unable to hold back a desperate sob. Before Detective Decker had the time to react, Grace felt Lucifer place his hand over hers comfortingly. She looked up and met his dark chocolate eyes, and instantly experienced a feeling of calmness spread in her mind. Looking at Lucifer made her feel safe; she found his hand on hers appeasing and soothing. The moment lasted merely a couple of seconds, but seemed like an eternity. When she snapped out of it, she wondered what had just got over her. 

“How did you do that?”, she asked him. 

“How did he do what?” Detective Decker asked, glaring at Lucifer. 

“For the life of me, I do not know what you mean, Grace. But good to see that you are back to your senses”

“I… yeah. What, what should I do, detective? Should I confront my husband?” she asked Chloe. The woman looked uncertain what to say next. 

“I believe you should carry on pretending to take the pills, make sure he does not notice. We will call him in for questioning and dig some more on our side. For the meantime, we know that he is hiding something from you and I want you to keep an eye out on his actions, do you think you can manage that?” 

Grace merely nodded, still unable to believe that her husband would do anything to hurt her. She knew that there must be another explanation. Jake was a good man. 

“He seemed full of good intentions for the past six months since we got married. I never expected anything like this from him…” she mused. Detective Decker remained silent and offered Grace a slightly sad, but reassuring smile. 

“We will get to the bottom of this, Grace” she promised.

“You know, love, the road to hell is paved with good intentions” Lucifer commented, staring at Grace, “or so I have been told.”

TBC.


	5. Chapter 4

As soon as Grace walked through the door after her one-hour commute from work, she let herself glide down along the wall onto the floor, feeling lost and very lonely. Finally able to let go, she gave free way to her tears and sobbed bitterly, letting the events from the past two days wash over her. From the loss of Jane to the discovery that Jake was potentially lying to her, Grace did not know who to turn to for advice anymore. She hiccupped uncontrollably and felt like she was choking on her sobs. There was no end to the stream of tears. Everything had stopped making sense to her. 

Grace did not know how long she had been sitting on the floor of her lobby, nor how she managed to muster the strength to get up and walk to the kitchen to have a drink of water. Her brain desperately tried to rationalise the events. Firstly, she was not responsible for Jane’s death. As tragic as it was, there was nothing she could have done to save her even if she had tried. Jane would not have admitted that her husband was abusive, and she would certainly not have wanted to police involved even if she had she told Grace about it. The second problem was by far more complicated to rationalize and solve: what was she to tell Jake? 

Her heart told her to be honest to the man she loved and had married. Her brain asked her whether she truly had married that man for love or because she had been gullible. Grace was left utterly insecure as to what to do. The memory of the picture with her and Lucifer flashed through her brain and she attempted to remember as many details as she could. He had seemingly been holding her from behind with his fingers intertwined over her stomach, smiling wickedly. She, on the other hand, had been holding the device with which the picture was taken above their heads and wore what Grace could only describe as a genuinely happy smile on her face. Her brown curls were thrown over her left shoulder and she was wearing a fitted red cocktail dress and the matching colour of lipstick, indicating that she and Lucifer had been on their way out. And the most important factor of all, the date, January 2016, written on the back in an elegant loopy handwriting that did not belong to her. Grace had no recollection of the event at all. 

As much as she struggled to remember something, anything about that night, she could not and as she went to settle on the couch, she decided not to torment herself trying. She would have to find another way to remember, but right now she needed to calm herself down before the return of her husband. And most importantly, she needed to figure out whether she should listen to her heart or to her brain; should she tell Jake the truth or test him? If he indeed drugged her and she told him about her suspicions, he might get violent. As unlikely as it seemed to her, she could not exclude the possibility. Grace tried to think of a scenario in which Jake would not have known anything about the picture either, but she found herself unable to do so. The evidence was there, he had been lying to her. The question remained: why? 

Grace was determined to find out. 

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“What? Why on Earth would I not be allowed into the questioning room, this case concerns me as much as it concerns Grace” Maze rose from the luxurious sofa as soon as she heard her master’s voice and groaned inertly when she noticed that he had brought the detective with him. 

“That is exactly why I don’t want you to be present when we question Jake Hoffmann. You are far too involved, and I’ve seen you question people before. You make them uncomfortable, nervous or even distressed. And that was without having any attachment to the victims…” Chloe knew that Lucifer understood the meaning of her sentence, but he did not seem ready to give up. 

“Detective, I don’t understand how you still believe that I will listen to you”

“Oh, you will listen to me” the blonde snapped, poking Lucifer’s chest with her index finger, “If you don’t listen, I will have you removed from the premises, and if you fight back I will not hesitate to use my gun on you. I’ve done it before…” Maze instinctively came between the detective and her King, assuming a protective stance and glaring at Chloe. She heard Lucifer snicker from behind her back. 

“Now, now Maze… The detective wouldn’t actually shoot me, she has grown too fond of me for that”

“For the sake of the investigation and for the fact that I want to keep my job, I will shoot you. Don’t turn up tomorrow, don’t try to contact Mrs Hoffmann… just don’t be involved at all! I don’t think she wants to see you right now, anyway” Lucifer was about to retort, but Chloe looked at him with imploring eyes: 

“Lucifer, I believe you now. I’ve seen the evidence that what you were telling is true, that you and Grace knew each other. And I can’t imagine what you’re feeling right now, but let me tell you one thing: if your goal is to get her back, you need to let her come back to you. If you pressure her, she will disappear for good. So please, don’t waste the only chance you have at a happy future with her…” Without waiting for Lucifer’s answer, the detective left the penthouse, but her words seemed to resonate in Lucifer’s ears. He knew that she had a good point. 

“What happened? Did she recognize you?” Maze asked, impatient to find out more. Her master’s reaction made it clear that the picture had not been enough to bring back memories of them. Maze could not help but feel sorry for Lucifer, although she knew better than to show this. 

“She is, however, recognising that Mr Hoffmoron has been lying to her. And I think that with a bit of work we could get her to remember something, at least. Any progress would be helpful at this point…” Maze eyed Lucifer carefully, thinking about a way that they could achieve this. 

“The detective will not let me anywhere near her and as much as I hate to admit it, she does have a point. It won’t help if I’m constantly harassing her, but it kills me to know that she is so close and I can’t keep an eye on her. Unless…” Lucifer looked at Maze, “… you, my faithful Maze, make sure she remains safe” 

“Me? How will I explain that when she sees me lurking around her house? Sorry, the devil asked me to keep an eye on you?” 

“For example, see you are very good at this” His tone was far too cheerful considering the seriousness of what he was asking from Maze. She nonetheless knew that there was no arguing with Lucifer and she also knew very well that she would do anything for him, even if his behaviour had frustrated her lately. He was still her master, and she still adored him. 

“Do you have a plan?” she asked, submitting to the task. 

“Of course, the devil is always well prepared. Grace’s neighbour Jane died at the hand of her abusive husband, and Grace was very close to that woman. By the sounds of it, however, she did not know much about dead girl’s life apart from the fact that she had great recipe for banana bread and that her husband beat her up when no one was looking…” Maze was not following. 

“So?”

“So, you will use Jane as an excuse to get to Grace and keep an eye on her for me”

“And how do you expect me to do that?” Lucifer merely offered her an enigmatic smile.

“Surprise me”, he said, “now be off, and report to me as often as you can. Out with you, chop, chop” Her master ushered her out despite Maze’s words of protest and when she saw the elevator doors slide shut, she groaned audibly. 

“Here’s a good demon” was the last thing she heard before the doors closed completely. 

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Grace had just come out of a refreshing shower when she heard the doorbell. Worried that it might be the detectives again, she braced herself for the conversation that might follow and opened the door only to be met with a stranger. 

“Can I help you?” Grace asked with all the friendliness of a good neighbour. The olive-skinned woman looked around her hesitantly but managed to produce what looked like a rather forced smile. 

“Awfully sorry to disturb you, but I was wondering if you knew if Jane was in? I haven’t heard from her in a couple of days and I’m starting to worry” Grace felt a pinch to her heart at the thought that this woman had not idea of what had befallen to her friend. Full of compassion, she took the woman’s hands in hers earning herself a rather surprised look. 

“I’m so sorry Miss, but Jane she… passed away” Grace managed to hold back her tears, “she…”

“That husband of hers… I knew it” The woman pulled her hands free from Grace’s hold and pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index fingers. “I knew that he was bad for her, I knew it. I should have said something” 

“Don’t beat yourself up. I thought the same as you when I found out, but there was nothing we could have done” Grace tried her best to sound comforting, but noticing that the woman was not reacting, she offered her a cup of coffee. 

“I eh… would love one, thank you…” Grace noticed the hesitation in her voice and smile reassuringly, inviting her guest inside. 

“My name is Grace” she purposefully omitted the Hoffmann. 

“Mazikeen Smith” the other woman introduced herself, inspecting the rooms of the house as she followed Grace in. “You eh… have a lovely home” she commented, rather awkwardly. 

“Thank you, my husband is an interior designer. Even though we did not build this house, he used some of his skills to redecorate it in a cosy fashion” Grace got two mugs out of the cupboards and switched the coffee machine on, allowing Mazikeen to get comfortable. 

“So, Mazikeen? Where is that name from?” Grace asked as an ice-breaker. The question seemed to take the young woman by surprise. 

“It’s the name of invisible demons which can create minor annoyances or great dangers” 

“Oh… interesting. Quite a contrast to my name, really” Grace joked, desperately trying to make Mazikeen feel comfortable. She had just lost a dear friend, after all, although she seemed to be able to keep her emotions under control very well. Grace brought the coffees over to the lounge. 

“Milk or sugar?”, she offered. 

“I like my coffee black”, the mysterious woman replied, “and preferably with a bit of spice” Mazikeen produced a silver hip flask out of her jacket pocket and poured what Grace presumed to be strong alcohol. Grace tried not to be alarmed by the action. 

“So, tell me Mazikeen…”

“Maze”, the young woman corrected, “my friends call me Maze”. For some reason, the last comment made Grace smile softly. She felt better knowing that she could find a friend in these difficult times.

“Works for me. So, Maze, how long have you known Jane for?” The other woman considered the question carefully before giving a short reply. 

“I have lost count of the years”

“Oh… you don’t look that close to Jane’s age” Grace remarked, sensing that she was making Maze uncomfortable. She apologised for her intrusiveness.

“No, don’t worry it’s just… eh, I am not foreign to police interrogations so, it kind of brings up a lot of memories. But you couldn’t have known” Grace wondered if Maze’s alcohol consumption had anything to do with her being known by the police. “Jane was a friend of my mother’s friend when I was a teenager and she always knew to guide me in times of need” 

“She did seem like such a lovely woman, with a good heart” Grace agreed, taking a sip of her coffee, “I myself liked to confide in her. She always had the right words to cheer me up” 

“Yeah… she was that kind of woman” Maze did not go into any details about the sort of events that had marked her childhood, and Grace was not one to pry. She did notice Maze’s phone buzzing incessantly. 

“Am I holding you up?” 

“Not at all” Maze silenced her phone and put it back in her pocket, “just an annoying boss”

“Where do you work? I do hope you won’t get into trouble because of me” Grace was glad for the opportunity to change the topic of conversation. 

“Let me worry about that. I’m a bartender in Los Angeles. Nothing glamourous and nothing that allows me to afford this kind of place. But I enjoy it. What about you?” 

“I’m a psychiatric nurse at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles. Sounds very fancy, but involves mostly commuting, paperwork and long nights fuelled by coffee” Grace giggled at her own comment, blushing when she got no reaction from Maze. This woman was very hard to read. 

“Still better than a bartender. You must see a variety of people”

“I really do. But I assume that as a bartender, you see a multitude of different people, too” Maze smiled knowingly, downing the rest of her coffee. 

“You bet! Drunk men, adulterous wives, under-aged, black, white, rich, wanna-be-rich… everyone enjoys a good time” 

“What bar is it that you work for?” 

“The Lux. Maybe you should come around some day” As soon as those words had been spoken, Grace thought she noticed Maze tense up, but that might have just been her imagination.

“I would love to. Would have to be a night when you are not working so we can enjoy a drink together” The suggestion seemed to take the other woman by surprise, but Grace was pleased to see Maze smile and relax somewhat. 

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll invite my other friend Linda to join us. She’s my sort of therapist… she helps me find myself” 

“I would love to meet your friend” The two women smiled at each other, but were interrupted by the sound of keys unlocking the front door. 

“Hi honey”, he shouted, “you’ll never guess what happened at work today… oh” Jake stopped in his track when he noticed Maze sitting in his lounge, “I didn’t know you had guests”

“Jake, this is Mazikeen, she is… was a friend of Jane’s. Maze, this is my husband Jake” Grace introduced both parties but sensed a tension in the air, mostly coming from Maze. Her husband seemed to have noticed it too, for he avoided eye-contact. In her present state, this made Grace suspect that something was wrong, but she knew that she could merely be paranoid. She needed to keep a straight face if she was to find out what Jake was hiding from her. 

“Nice to meet you, Jake” Maze had spoken those words while staring intently at her opponent. 

“Chrm, the pl-pleasure is all mine, Madeleine…”

“Mazikeen” the young woman corrected, sounding somewhat snippy. To alleviate the tension, Grace cleared the table and asked Jake if he could wash up the two empty cups, which he gladly agreed to. 

“Have you taken your pills today, my darling?” Grace tensed up at the question, but managed to keep a calm composure. 

“I will do straight away, love. Maze, it was lovely to meet you” she told Maze, hugging the disconcerted bartender, who awkwardly returned the embrace, “I will text you a date for us to meet?”

“Oh eh… yeah, absolutely” The two women proceeded to exchange numbers before parting. Grace had a happy smile on her face when she returned to the kitchen a couple of minutes later. Jake was waiting for her with a glass of water and her tablet. Repeating her actions from the day before, Grace pretended to swallow the pill and then kissed her husband to distract him so she could hide it in her jeans pocket. 

Meanwhile, Maze walked back to the Corvette parked a couple of streets further so as to not raise suspicion and checked her phone only to find that she had thirty-two unread messages from Lucifer. Rolling her eyes, she phoned him.

“The word regularly, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, denotes an action that is undertaken at regular intervals or times, more commonly known as ‘often’ or for children ‘many times’” Lucifer’s voice greeted her sarcastically. 

“We have a problem… I might have invited her to have drinks at the Lux” There was a pause during which Maze considered hanging up. She was not sure how Lucifer was going to take the news. 

“Alright… we’ll work with that. Just don’t tell the detective” 

TBC.


	6. Chapter 5

“Name” Chloe asked the suspect, pen in hand and ready to take notes of whatever he was ready to reveal.

“Jacob Jeremy Hoffmann”

“Age”

“Twenty-Seven”

“Occupation?”

“Interior designer for … well, you know who for, you called my boss yesterday asking to see me” the man said sarcastically, earning himself a warning glare from the detective. 

“If you have nothing to hide, you don’t have to worry about this”

“Why have you even called me here? Is it about Jane’s murder? I thought you established that her husband did it…”

“That investigation is closed, Mr Hoffmann. Your presence here is related to another case. We have evidence to suggest that you are lying about having known your wife before her coma” Chloe noticed the man opposite her tense up. 

“How dare you insinuate that I have been lying to my wife?” 

Chloe found his behaviour highly suspicious and to her, the possibility that he was hiding something did not sound as far-fetched anymore. She felt like she herself was biased because of Lucifer. As her friend, she wanted him to be happy with the woman he thought was dead. Chloe wondered how she would have reacted if she found out that her father was alive, but could not remember her or anyone else. Staring at the man opposite her, Chloe took out the picture of Lucifer and Grace and slid it over towards Mr Hoffman, who looked at it blank-faced. Leaving him a couple of seconds to consider the evidence, Chloe proceeded to flip the picture over so the suspect could read the date inscribed on its back. 

“Can you explain this, Mr Hoffmann?” Chloe observed the man carefully. She thought she noticed tears well up in his eyes. When he looked up, he shook his head and sniffed miserably. 

“I only have one possible explanation… She cheated on me with that guy as I stayed and fought by her side when was at her worst. I married that woman when she came out of her coma” Tears of fear and frustration were streaming down his cheeks. Chloe sighed and took the picture back. 

“Mr Hoffmann, some things still don’t seem to add up. Your wife told us that she has found no evidence of her being a part of your life before your wedding. She said she went through photo albums…”

“I explained this to her already, detective. Her parents did not approve of me, so they never allowed her to attend my prom, or go on holiday with me, or her friends for the matter. She had a traumatising childhood, from which I’ve been trying to protect her since she awoke from her coma. All I wanted was to give her a chance at a happy life. A fresh start for us both. And THIS” the suspect pointed at the picture in Chloe’s hand, “is my thank you?”

Chloe felt terrible for the man and she reprimanded herself for trusting Lucifer once again too hastily. Seducing a woman who was involved with someone else did sound like him. 

“Mr Hoffmann, I apologise for the questions, but I need to ask you this one: are you drugging your wife so she doesn’t remember her past?” The suspect looked at Chloe hesitantly, trying to contain the fresh tears threatening to escape his eyes. 

“Yes. Those pills are keeping her happy. She doesn’t want to remember her past, it will destroy her. Does that truly make me a bad husband?” Chloe sighed at the revelation and took note of it all. She knew she had nothing she could hold against the guy and would have to let him go. The detective was dreading the conversation with Lucifer.

“Thank you for your time, Mr Hoffmann” Chloe said, shaking the man’s hand, “and I apologise again. I hope you and your wife will find a way around this” 

“I’m sure we will, detective. I won’t give up on her now”

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Slamming the door of his car shut, Jake let out a relieved sigh. Cold sweat was running down the back of his neck as he leaned back against his seat and closed his eyes. He tried to calm his racing heart by taking deep calming breaths. His eyes shot open when he heard the ruffling of wings, like some massive bird had just landed at the back of his car. The feeling of relief was replaced by an overwhelming feeling of dread in the pit of Jake’s stomach. 

“Hello, Jacob. Long time no see…” a voice that was far too familiar spoke to Jake. 

“Uriel…”

“I have come back to Earth to attend to some… angelic business, you could call it that I suppose” Uriel began to explain, looking out of the window seemingly bored, “can you imagine my surprise when I found out that my brother had found out that Grace was still alive? What do you think went through my mind when I discovered that the human I saved from hell a year ago had failed me…”

“Uriel, please I swear I did not know until now that Grace had…”

“Silence” Uriel ordered in a calm voice full of authority. Jake shook with fear and closed his eyes in the hope that Uriel would disappeared when he opened them again. “I know you never realised what was happening right under your nose. Your wife is doubting you. She has stopped taking her pills…”

“That is not possible” Jake argued, “I give them to her myself”

“Do you feed them to her?” 

“No…” Jake admitted with a lump in his throat. 

“I did not think so. How else would she have started to remember things?”

“I’m sorry Uriel. I promise I will be more careful, just…” Jake did not even manage to finish his sentence. 

“Just what? Don’t send you back to hell?” Jake flinched at the mention of this place. Uriel smiled cruelly and leaned forward so he could whisper in the terrified human’s ear: “If you don’t take control of the situation, I will send you back to hell. Remember what it was like? Remember the torture, the pain, the screams… tell me, how long were in you hell, Jake?” 

“I don’t know…” 

“Thirty seconds” the angel said matter-of-factly. The human began shaking and a sob he did not know had been building up escaped him. Terror washed over him at the revelation that what he had felt had been an eternity had merely been thirty seconds. 

“I will do anything to not go back to hell… please, give me another chance” 

“I will, Jake, even though I don’t usually do second chances. But I see now that you have seen the errors of your ways. Just don’t disappoint me anymore. I am watching you” The fluttering sound of wings was to be heard once again as the angel took off, leaving Jake on his own in the car. Unable to hold back any longer, the man broke into years. 

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Grace’s phone rang while she was walking to the bus station near the Good Samaritan Hospital. Hurriedly she rummaged through her bag and managed to awkwardly wedge the phone between her ear and her shoulder while she walked to the corner of Figueroa and 5th. 

“Hello?”, she answered the phone, somewhat distracted. 

“I just had a lovely chat with the LAPD. Apparently, I drug you and you cheated on me with some rich guy…” Grace recognised Jake’s voice and her heart skipped a beat. 

“Sorry?”

“You heard me. Do you remember cheating on me?” There was bitterness in her husband’s voice. 

“What? Jake no, I don’t. Why would you ask something like that?”

“Because I have been shown a picture of you and some other guy today at the police station and the detective asked me if I was lying to you… I can’t believe you could have done something like that”

“Neither do I because I would never cheat on anyone, Jake. I… look, just put yourself in my position” Grace implored, trying to make her husband see that she needed answers and if he would not give them to her, she would go looking for them herself. 

“If I was in your position I would appreciate the efforts of my partner to protect me. I would not go to the LAPD behind my partner’s back. I can’t believe how ungrateful you are, Grace…”

“Ungrateful? Do you even know how hard it is not to remember anything about one’s past? Do you know how difficult it is for me to go through life not knowing who I am? I am grateful for you always being there for me, Jake, but I will not stand here and listen to you telling me that I am a bad person” Grace hung up before Jake had a chance to answer and sighed heavily. She felt exhausted and lost. This was the first time that Grace had ever raised her voice to Jake, at least as far as she could remember. She felt her phone buzz again in her hand and muted it. She did not want to talk to her husband right now. And she also did not feel like going home to him considering the state of mind he must be in. Could she have cheated on him? It did not sound like her, then again, she did not know anything about her old self. The thought that this kind of person was who she used to be made her feel disgusted and scared. What else had she been up to? And who apart from Jake could possibly tell her anything about her past? Shaking her head as if to chase the intrusive thoughts away, Grace looked through her phone for Maze’s number and texted her. 

I need somewhere to crash tonight, and could probably use a drink, too. 

Grace carried on walking aimlessly, waiting for Maze to reply. She checked her phone every time she heard a buzz, but it was only Jake trying to get a hold of her. A quick look through the messages he sent told Grace that she was taking the right decision not to return home. She felt her stomach drop when she read some of the things he was sending her. Threats, followed by pleas, followed by apologies, followed by more threats when she would not acknowledge him. Typical manipulative behaviour that the psychiatric nurse was too familiar with. She had never believed that Jake could have that side to him. Finally, she noticed Maze’s name pop up on her screen. 

I’m all yours. Meet me at Lux asap x

Grace sighed in relief while she googled the address to the night club.

TBC


	7. Chapter 6

“And that’s when I texted you” Grace finished telling Maze all about her life story and took a well-earned sip from her Long Island Ice Tea, “thank you again for letting me stay at yours tonight. I promise it’s just to give Jake a chance to calm down, I won’t overstay my welcome” the young nurse promised. 

“Don’t mention it, seems like after the year you’ve had you need some time for yourself, anyway” Maze managed a small smile as she downed the rest of her whiskey. Grace looked at her phone and realised that she had spent over an hour explaining the whole situation to Maze and in the meantime, she had missed fourteen calls from her husband. Another thirty-two messages had been left unread and she did not want to see the state of her voicemail. Sighing, she locked her phone and shoved it back into her bag. 

“I just thought after I woke up from my coma I could just carry on with my life, be happy with my husband and not worry about the past. Seems like the universe has other plans for me…” Grace sipped absent-mindedly on her drink, seemingly lost in thought. Maze stared at her with a curious glint in her eyes. 

“Tell me” she leaned over the counter so her face was close to Grace’s, “why did you decide to look for answers? You could have carried on taking your pills and live this happy carefree life, but you started doubting your husband. Why?” Grace cocked an eyebrow at Maze’s question. 

“Wouldn’t you want to know who you are, where you fit in this life, where you came from?” the young woman asked. 

“According to what you said earlier, it seems to me that all you wanted to do when you woke up was carry on and forget… hence my question, why look for answers now? What made you doubt?” Grace realised that Maze had a point. 

“You have to admit that having a man you have never met before tell you that your husband is not really your husband and that he has been lying to you for the past six months would make me doubt everything…” 

“Of course. But you still haven’t answered my question. You could have chosen to leave it in the past and just carry on, like you said, and you didn’t” Maze’s gaze was intense and made Grace feel scrutinized. 

“I guess you could call it a gut feeling… something in me is telling me that I have to dig deeper” 

“And did you never consider the possibility that this gut feeling might be your mind’s way of telling you that you have some unresolved business linked to your past to address?” Maze eventually pulled away from Grace, downing what remained of her drink and pouring herself another one. 

“So, what are you saying? That Lucifer was the trigger?” Grace asked her. 

“I never said that” Maze retorted, “but it is a possibility. Maybe your mind recognises him, but something is blocking your consciousness from doing the same” 

“If my mind recognised him, it would produce a memory and thus, I would remember him. But I simply don’t” Maze chuckled cheekily and licked her upper lip almost seductively. 

“What if your body recognised him, but your mind didn’t?” she suggested. Grace’s eyes widened at the thought and she let out an appalled laugh. 

“I don’t think so, Maze” The other woman merely rolled her eyes. 

“Fine, what if your heart recognises him but your mind doesn’t? Cheesy version better to madam’s taste?” Maze’s voice was filled with what sounded like disgust, which made Grace chuckle slightly. 

“You are quite someone, Maze. I’m really glad to have found a friend in you” At those words, the olive-skinned woman seemed to tense and her cockiness was replaced with shock at the revelation. Her cheeks flushed ever so slightly, which was unlike her, but it warmed Grace’s heart. 

“You consider me a friend? I’ve barely known you a couple of days”

“You agreed to lodge me for the night and you have barely known me a couple of days… in my book, only friends would do that for each other” Maze sighed inertly at Grace’s words and felt an unfamiliar sense of shame wash over her at the thought that the main reason she agreed to help Grace out was so she could report to Lucifer, like he had asked her to do. She had not expected the other woman to call her a friend. 

“I’m… honestly, don’t mention it. Just… I couldn’t let you sleep on the streets now, could I?” 

“You didn’t have to let me stay under your roof, though. You could have recommended a hotel or a hostel” Grace remarked. Maze felt worse with each word that came out of that woman’s mouth. 

“It’s alright, really. Let’s go before the next shift starts” Maze put the two empty glasses away and grabbed her leather jacket from behind the counter before making her way out followed by Grace. When they reached the door, the demon was taken by surprise when her guest hugged her tightly and thanked her once again for what felt like the millionth time. Maze awkwardly returned the embrace and opened the door without a word. Only when they reached Maze’s flat did the demon notify Lucifer of what was happening. 

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“Detective, what a pleasure to hear the sound of your voice” Lucifer greeted Chloe on the phone, “what can I do for you today?” 

“Lucifer, we need to talk. About Grace…” The devil tensed at the mention of her name and was glad for the fact that Chloe could not see him.

“Did you interrogate Mr Hoffmoron?” 

“Yeah. Lucifer, before I reveal anything I need to ask you a question: you have never lied to me before, have you?” The question surprised Lucifer somewhat, but he could assuredly tell the detective that he hadn’t.

“The devil never lies, detective. In fact, I despise liars more than anything”

“You would never lie to me, is that what you’re saying?” 

“I don’t have a reason to lie to anyone, detective” Lucifer confirmed, “I punish liars” He heard Chloe’s intake of breath before she proceeded to her actual question.

“Did Grace cheat on Jacob Hoffmann with you before her accident?” The question came as a punch to the gut and Lucifer was not sure if he should feel appalled or disgusted. 

“Is that what he told you happened?” he asked, avoiding the inquiry. 

“Did she or did she not, Lucifer?” Two could play at that game, it seemed. 

“No, detective. I would not have shared Grace, not even if I was present would I have let her sleep with another man and Father knows how much I enjoy a good threesome” His tone was playful to hide how he actual felt about the question, however Chloe did not sound satisfied. 

“Could it be possible that Grace never told you about another boyfriend?” This made Lucifer’s blood boil in his veins, but he knew better than to snap at the detective. After all, she was merely doing her job. 

“No” 

“That day when we all stood in her kitchen, you said something about her being taken away from you…” 

“Yes, by Uriel, my brother. Look detective, it’s a long and complicated story and I don’t think you are ready to hear it, yet alone believe it. All I can tell you is that Grace and I were exclusive to each other. I would never have let any other man have her, you have to take my word for it” Chloe was silent on the other line, thinking about what her friend had just told her.

“I am ready to believe you, but if you are right then Jacob is lying to us and Grace might be in danger. We might have to place under a witness protection programme”

“Do what you have to do, detective, keep me informed” Lucifer hung up before Chloe had time to answer and carried on playing the piano to distract him from his own thoughts. Since Grace had been back into his life, his mind had been focused on her. She had become the centre of his attention once again, and no matter how hard he tried to forget through drinking, Grace’s face was still the last thing he saw before succumbing to sleep and the first thing he saw when he woke up. Staring out of his penthouse window into the distance, Lucifer felt the presence of Amenadiel before his brother even spoke. 

“To what do I owe the immense pleasure” Lucifer asked sarcastically. Calmly, he lowered the keyboard cover and stood up so he could face Amenadiel. 

“Mum told me about Grace…”

“She could not keep a secret if her life depended on it” Lucifer stood opposite of his brother, his hands in his pockets looking rather nonchalant, “so tell me, what sort of moral will you be telling me today?” 

“Luci, just leave her alone. She has suffered enough because of your relationship, don’t make her remember and please spare yourself the pain of getting rejected by her…” 

“How dare you insinuate that she suffered because of ME” Lucifer could not contain his anger as he paced menacingly towards Amenadiel, “we were happy before the angels got involved! Before good old dad decided that he hated seeing me happy that much he had to tear everything down that me and Grace had…” Amenadiel, although looking unfazed, knew that it was in his best interest to calm Lucifer down before an outburst of anger. The angel raised his hands defensively, trying to make Lucifer understand that he only wanted to help. 

“Lucifer, you know that what happened can never be. Father just wanted to protect humanity, and that is why he sent me to avoid this from happening. Uriel felt like I was taking things too slowly, and decided to take matters into his own hands… but the main victim in the end was Grace, and she does not need to remember what happened” 

“What about my happiness?” Lucifer argued, “did it not occur to anybody that for the first time in over two millennia, I felt alive. I felt like I mattered to someone. Does that mean nothing to dad?” The devil’s voice trembled ever so slightly, and if Amenadiel didn’t know his brother better, he would have put it down to anger. But Lucifer was upset and Amenadiel was unsure how to deal with a distressed devil. 

“Lucifer, I have come here to warn you. If Grace remembers, it will be her undoing. I saw Uriel today…” Lucifer’s stance changed altogether and what sounded like a small growl rose from his chest. His eyes flared red as he tried to control his rage. 

“He had the nerve to come back after what he did…”

“He initially came down to take mum back to hell when he found out that Grace had started investigating her past… Lucifer, if she remembers you she will die. Uriel will personally see that this time her life won’t be spared, and if you truly care for her as much as you claim you do, keep away from her. Don’t be selfish for once in your life” Lucifer looked at his brother, feeling betrayed, scared, even more lost than before… the devil was not familiar with the feeling of losing control.

“Amenadiel… please” was all Lucifer could say, which seemed to surprise his brother.

“Please?” 

“There is no way I will give up on her. I won’t let her slip through my fingers again. So, I’m asking you, Amenadiel, help me keep her safe while I deal with Uriel” The other angel eyed Lucifer suspiciously. 

“The devil does not usually beg…”

“I am not begging” Lucifer corrected, “I am giving you an opportunity to be on my side. As my brother. There is no way you are going to convince me to give up on Grace again, so either you team up with me or you stay on daddy’s side. In any of these cases, I will not go down without a fight…” Amenadiel considered Lucifer’s words for an instant while the devil stood his ground, shaking with anticipation. Amenadiel merely sighed, staring at his brother with sadness in his eyes. 

“I’m sorry Luci, but I can’t work with you. I know you think you are doing the right thing for you and Grace, but you are being selfish. And I won’t let your egoism affect humanity” Somehow, Lucifer had not expected anything less from Amenadiel. 

“Of course, brother. The contrary would have surprised me… So, I guess it’s just me against dad’s little obedient soldiers, as always” 

“I don’t want to hurt you, Lucifer, or Grace for that matter. That means that I will also not take Father’s side, or Uriel’s. I will stay out of it” Lucifer smiled mirthlessly. 

“So unlike you to not get involved… but I’ll take that” As both brothers stared at each other, Lucifer felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Casually grabbing hold of it and using it as an excuse to turn his back on Amenadiel, he noticed Maze’s name pop up on the notification tab and opened the text message she sent him:

Grace is staying at mine tonight and if you don’t get your ass here soon to tell her that I work for you, I will do it myself.

“Such a drama queen, Maze, as usual” Lucifer whispered to himself, grabbing the keys of his Corvette. 

TBC


	8. Chapter 7

“Chinese or pizza, your pick” Maze threw two distinct take-out menus at Grace, who instinctively reached for the pizza menu first. Maze joined her on the luxurious black leather couch, using her teeth to undo the cap of the beer bottles she had got out of the fridge. She handed one to Grace in silence, who accepted it. 

“I’ll have a four cheeses pizza and a tiramisu as a desert” 

“Classic, but I did say it was your pick” Maze commented, typing the order into her app. Grace ignored the comment and took a swig from her beer, closing her eyes as she exhaled loudly. For the first time that day she felt like she could let her guard down and relax. 

“I invited a friend over, he should not be long. I hope you don’t mind” Maze informed her. 

“Of course not, it’s your flat” 

Grace tried to clear her mind from everything that had been happening recently so she could unwind and hopefully wake up the next morning with an idea on what to do next. She was not sure whether she should tell someone about the numerous texts and calls she was missing, and a little voice in her head told her that she should feel bad for leaving her husband without news from her. But Grace needed some space, and after reading some of Jake’s messages, she did not feel like talking to him anyway. 

“The food should be ready for collection soon, but feel free to have a shower in the meantime”

“Do you know what, a shower sounds like the best idea” 

“I’ll get you a towel and a change of clothes” Maze got up and left the room, leaving Grace alone with her thoughts once again. Deciding that it was unfair to Jake to let him worry about her, Grace took her phone out of her bag and texted him that she would be staying at a friend’s house tonight and she would speak to him in the morning. Then she switched her phone off completely. That simple action felt so relieving to her it even brought a small smile on her face. No responsibilities for a couple of hours, no commitments, no questions. Grace was looking forward to her shower. When Maze reappeared, her guest excused herself and left for the bathroom, locking the door behind her. At that moment, the buzzer to Maze’s flat went off and the demon went to open the door, knowing that it must be Lucifer. 

“Well, started the party without me?” his usual velvet voice greeted her, but the demon merely rolled her eyes in annoyance. 

“You need to tell her I’m working for you. She thinks I’m her friend…”

“And it would hurt your sensitive demon heart if she held a grudge against you for lying to her… of course, love, I understand” Lucifer’s voice was dripping with sarcasm, which had Maze shoot him a deadly glare. 

“Yes, it would” she replied through pursed lips, “I told you that I wanted to find my place in this world and I will only manage to do this through making friends. So, you are going to fix your mistake, got it?” 

“Now, now Maze, be careful of your tone. I am still the King of Hell in case you forgot” Lucifer’s tone sounded playful, but despite the smile on his face, Maze clearly heard the unspoken threat and decided to keep her snarky remark to herself. Huffing, she let Lucifer in. 

“Grace is in the shower, she won’t be long” Maze informed him. 

“Without me? What a shame, indeed” 

“She’s been harassed by her husband all evening. She thinks I didn’t notice, but her phone kept flashing up in her purse. The guy is pissed, that’s for sure…” Maze offered Lucifer a beer, which he gladly welcomed. 

“Her husband is not the problem” his tone had grown serious, “Uriel is back…” Maze stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Lucifer with worry in her eyes.

“Uriel? Why?” 

“Initially to take dear mummy back to hell… but then, he got words that I found out about Grace and apparently, he has vowed to kill her if she remembers anything…” Lucifer took a sip of his beer and looked rather bored with the subject, however Maze was convinced that her master was deeply worried. And so was she. 

“Who told you that?”

“Amenadiel…” Maze’s heart beat slightly faster in her chest at the mention of her former angelic lover. 

“Did he see him?” 

“It certainly seems so. He tried to convince me to leave Grace alone”

“Which, I suppose, you refused to do” Maze asked rhetorically. 

“I will not let anyone take her away from me again” Lucifer confirmed the demon’s theory, ”but Amenadiel refuses to help me. He doesn’t want to get involved at all, in fact. At least I won’t have to worry about him putting a spoke through my wheels” Maze merely nodded. The two of them stood in silence for a while until they heard the shower go off.

“Are you gonna tell Grace?” Maze asked Lucifer. 

“No. The less she knows for now, the better. I will, however, let the detective know that I believe Grace needs to be put under police supervision, not that they could do anything against Uriel, but at least if something was to happen she would let me know and I could take care of my brother myself” 

Before Maze could enquire further, she heard the bathroom door open and instantly became silent. The sight of Grace wearing her tight leather trousers and a lacy white top that showed off a lot of skin was enough to make the demon smile slightly amused. Grace looked flushed and embarrassed. 

“Eh Maze, do you have something else I could… oh, detective” The young woman’s blush turned a darker shade of red, which made Lucifer’s heart race in his chest as he felt a wave of arousal wash over him. Unable to help himself, a smirk appeared on his lips. 

“Well hello there, darling. That style truly befits you…” Lucifer eyes Grace approvingly, which made the young woman obviously feel uncomfortable. Maze merely snorted when her guest shot her a helpless look. Taking pity on her, Lucifer removed his suit jacket and went to cover Grace with it, who shyly accepted the gesture. 

“Thank you”

“Always a gentleman, Lucifer” Maze remarked, “the pizzas are ready for collection, I’ll be back soon” Grace wished Maze would not leave her alone with Lucifer, but she did not want to seem rude by voicing that hope out loud. Feeling rather awkward, Grace avoided Lucifer’s stare and cleared her throat nervously.

“So, you and Maze know each other?” she asked randomly attempting to break the ice. 

“Oh, yes we do. Maze and I go way back. Actually, she wanted me to come here to apologise to you…” Grace looked at Lucifer, confusion written all over her face. 

“Apologise?”

“Yes. I might have asked her to lie in order to get close to you so she could keep an eye on you” Lucifer admitted, not looking the least sorry about what he had done. Grace was appalled upon hearing the revelation. 

“You had her spy on me? So, what? She’s working for the LAPD as an undercover agent?” Grace could not hide the anger in her voice, a feeling that was amplified when she noticed Lucifer still smiling. 

“Not spy, such a nasty word. Think of it rather as keeping an eye on you. And well, she kind of became a bounty hunter for the LAPD quite recently, but before that she worked in my night club, and even before that she helped me torture souls in hell” Grace cocked an eyebrow at the last part of Lucifer’s explanation. 

“She helped you torture souls in hell?” she repeated, her tone clearly indicating that she did not believe a word of what the other man was telling her. 

“Yes, that’s what I just said, keep up” Lucifer got himself another beer out of Maze’s fridge while Grace tried to contain the frustrated groan that was threatening to escape her, “in any case, I hope there’s no hard feelings, Maze really likes you” 

“I… I want to be so angry at you and Maze right now, but I’m just not gonna bother” Grace closed her eyes again and exhaled loudly for the second time that evening. Suddenly feeling rather cold, she slid her arms into the sleeves of Lucifer’s suit jacket and tightly wrapped it around her upper body so it covered as much bare skin as possible. “Guess I’ll just have to get used to people keeping secrets from me and breaking my trust” Grace expected a sarcastic comment from Lucifer but was surprised to be met with silence. She opened her eyes and glanced at the man.

“Devil got your tongue?” Grace asked, curiosity getting the better of her. 

“You can quite literally say that, love” Lucifer sat down next to Grace and seemed to consider what to say next, which intrigued the young woman. “I did not mean to make you feel that way. I probably should not have acted so selfishly, but… I guess I was just worried that I would lose you again, and this feeling was more powerful than myself…” 

Grace hated to admit that she understood where Lucifer was coming from, for she wanted to be mad at him. The young woman felt herself relax as she remembered the desperate look on the man’s face the first time they met. This kind of pain could not be faked and it must have taken every ounce of Lucifer’s will-power not to break down. Grace felt a surge of empathy for the man sitting next to her. Surprising even herself, she covered his hand with her own and squeezed it gently. 

“It’s okay, just… don’t do it ever again, okay? From now on, no more spying, no more lies” Lucifer smiled softly as he locked gazes with Grace, who felt like she could lose herself in those warm pools of brown. Shaking those thoughts away, she withdrew her hand and broke the eye contact. 

“You have the devil’s word. I’ll just have to personally ensure that you remain safe” Grace chuckled softly and smiled at Lucifer. 

“You know, as quirky and eccentric as you are, you seem to have your heart in the right place” she said, breaking the silence that had settled between them. Lucifer could not help but return her smile as he felt his heart flutter in his chest. 

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The next morning, Grace was busy making breakfast for her and Maze as a thank you for the woman’s hospitality when she heard a phone ring. Knowing it could not be hers, she called out to Maze in case the call was important. The other woman seemed in no rush to answer as she casually strolled into the living room and picked up her ringing phone. 

“Yo Lucifer, what up?” Grace glanced at the other woman and noticed her surprised expression as she handed the phone over to Grace. 

“It’s for you”, she explained, which had Grace confused. Maze shrugged, indicating that she did not know what Lucifer wanted of Grace. The young nurse took the phone off her host and brought it to her ear. 

“Hello?” 

“Good morning, love, you are certainly a tough one to reach. I don’t understand why you humans are not constantly on your phones, these gadgets are awesome” Grace heard the voice of detective Decker reprimand Lucifer urgently. 

“Well actually humans are constantly on their phones…” Grace corrected, flipping the pancakes over. 

“Are they really? Fascinating how my focus and attention span is significantly reduced when there is a phone nearby, I can’t imagine what it must be like for the average mortal…” Grace heard shuffling on the other end and the muffled protests of Lucifer before she heard Detective Decker’s voice speak to her:

“Sorry about that, Mrs Hoffmann. Detective Decker speaking, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you…” Grace switched the electric hob off and served Maze and herself some pancakes. Her host was more interested in the conversation and Grace put the detective on speaker so Maze could follow.

“What news?” 

“I have reasons to believe that your husband has been lying to the LAPD when we took him in for questioning yesterday. Considering what you have been telling us and the worries you have brought forward, me and my colleagues believe that it is best to place you under police supervision for a while until we get to the bottom of this…” 

Grace felt like the air had been knocked out of her lungs at the detective’s words. She had not expected this kind of outcome, and for the split of a second, she felt like her whole life was falling apart. She had to actively control her breathing if she did not want to be subjected to a panic attack right there and then. Maze seemed to notice her distress, but merely kept an eye on her for the time being. 

“Mrs Hoffmann, are you still there?” 

“Yes… I’m sorry, I… it’s just a lot to take in, I don’t know what it entails and…” The detective interrupted her straight away.

“We don’t want you to worry, Mrs Hoffmann” Grace heard Lucifer ask if it was really appropriate to still call her that, followed by what sounded like an exclamation of pain, “Lucifer, just stop talking for Heaven’s sake. Sorry, Mrs… chrm…” 

“Grace is fine with me, detective… don’t worry about the formalities” Grace reassured the other woman. 

“Grace, we will find you a place where you will be safe and the LAPD will make sure that your husband does not come too close to you while the investigation is ongoing. We would also advise you not to contact him for now, we sent a couple of officers to your house to let him know” Grace merely nodded, unable to process any more today. 

“OK detective, whatever you think is best” 

“She could be staying here?” Maze piped up, speaking into her phone’s microphone so the detective could hear her loud and clear, “I mean, I technically work as a bounty hunter for the LAPD… if anyone tries to reach out to Grace, I can just knock them out…”

“What a brilliant idea” they both heard Lucifer pitch in at the other end, which would no doubt have earned him a deadly glare from the detective, “how do you feel about that arrangement, girls?” Grace looked at Maze, making sure that she actually meant what she was saying. She did not want to be a burden to the young woman any longer than necessary. The small smile on Maze’s lips was all Grace needed to see. 

“I like that idea. I’d rather be staying at a friend’s so I’m not alone…” 

“Excellent, that’s that settled, goodbye darlings” Maze and Grace could make out Chloe’s objections before Lucifer managed to hang up. The two women stood in silence facing each other for a second until they both burst out laughing at the situation. 

“He must be so difficult to work with” Grace commented, taking a bite of her now cooled pancake, “what a personality he has” Maze merely nodded, taking a swig out of her silver hip flask. 

“That he sure has. Well… guess I’ll need to clear out a drawer and make some space for your boring clothes in my wardrobe for you now” Grace shot Maze a thankful look. 

“You know what’s coming next, right?” Grace said with a mischievous smile on her face. Maze sighed and rolled her eyes as she opened her arms wide, allowing her guest to hug her in gratitude. The demon would of course never admit out loud that she enjoyed it. 

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“Uriel, my son…” The angel jerked when he heard his mother’s voice. He turned around, keeping a cool head and a calm stance, and faced Goddess in her human vessel. Her long hair moved with the wind as they stood on the rooftop of a sky scraper. 

“Mother, what a lovely surprise. Too bad we will have to cut the reunion short so I can send you back to hell” Uriel spread his angel wings menacingly, which merely earned him an amused chuckle from his mother. With a wave of her hand, she sent her son flying to the very edge of the building’s roof. 

“Now, now… there is no need for that kind of attitude, I am just here for a chat. Or rather, I wish to propose a deal…” Uriel got back onto his feet and wiped the blood that was trickling out of his mouth. 

“A deal? Lucifer did rub on off on you, and you have only been here for a couple of days…” 

“Lucifer is actually the reason I am here… more or less. Darling…” Goddess walked towards her son, who firmly stood his ground, determined not to show any weakness. “all I want is for Lucifer to come back home. I want to be reunited with my family…”

“Dad doesn’t want you in Heaven” Uriel argued, “he won’t let you come back. And neither will he welcome Lucifer. Amenadiel has fallen because of his sins… in my eyes, you all belong in hell”

As soon as she was close enough, Goddess softly cupped Uriel’s cheek with her hand, but the angel jerked away in disgust. 

“I am willing to go back to hell, but not on my own. Lucifer belongs in hell, and I want him by my side. Only, Lucifer has grown fond of humanity…” Uriel looked at his mother slightly perplexed. 

“And you want me to convince him?” 

“I want to help you get rid of Grace Beauregard” Goddess said, “two birds, one stone, son. If she dies and Lucifer goes back to hell, so will I. And that is all you really want, is it not?” Uriel considered the proposal and had to admit that it sounded too good to be true. 

“What if you’re wrong and Lucifer won’t go back to hell even if Grace is dead? He stayed the first time” 

“Hope is a wonderful thing, Uriel. And darling, you should see how love-stricken he is. He will be heartbroken, devastated, in fact, when he loses her again. He might go in a blind rage, too. It will be very easy then to reason with him and the only way for him to protect those precious humans from his wrath and thirst of vengeance will be to return to hell…” 

Uriel relaxed somewhat as he listened to his mother’s plan. He was still unsure whether he could fully trust her. Sending his mother and Lucifer back to hell would earn him the love and pride of his father, and get rid of the danger that was Grace Beauregard would only be a bonus. 

“One attempt to double-cross me and our deal is off” Uriel said matter-of-factly. 

“You have my word, sweetheart”

TBC


	9. Chapter 8

A couple of weeks had passed since Grace had moved in with Maze. The LAPD had made sure that some of her belongings, mainly clothes, were brought over to the new address and Maze, as promised, had made some room to accommodate Grace. The black leather couch in Maze’s living room had been pushed to the side and replaced with a modern sofa bed in textured grey fabric and leather handles, with hidden compartments that provided more storage. Altogether, the two women had adjusted well to living together and had become closer over the past weeks. Maze, however, never forgot that she responsible for Grace’s protection at any time, and the demon took this job at heart.

 

Other developments included Grace trying to spend more time with Lucifer as friends, which had not been an easy task considering their varying schedules. She was still on a quest to find out about her past, and the young woman figured that if she and Lucifer had indeed been very close, he might trigger some memories from before her accident and her coma. When she asked him one day to tell her about their relationship, Lucifer had refused to do so as he wanted Grace to remember rather than being spoon-fed information about the two of them. At that moment, Grace realised that Lucifer would support her through the ordeal of overcoming her amnesia no matter what, and it felt good to know that he was ready to be patient and be her friend in those times of need.

 

Chloe had checked in with Grace regularly, mainly because she knew that the young woman was important to Lucifer and quite frankly, it fascinated the detective to see her off-the-wall friend besotted with this woman. A woman who was the exact opposite of him in every sense of the word; even their names were contradictory. He genuinely seemed to care about her, although his attitude towards other women would not necessarily change. Lucifer was still the good old flirtatious club owner Chloe had met a couple of months earlier, which made the situation even more peculiar to her. However, whenever Chloe asked Lucifer about Grace he would remain very vague or would be straight-on inappropriate, as it were. He refused to tell Chloe what had happened that was so traumatic, which only tickled the detective’s curiosity even more.

 

Lucifer had, however, told one human about his and Grace’s tragic story: doctor Linda Martin looked rather taken aback after Lucifer finished his tale. The devil was relieved that she had eventually agreed to see him again, even after seeing his true form. Lucifer also knew how adamant she was about honesty between doctor and patient, so he decided to recount the story to her.

 

“Right, so… it sounds to me like you and Grace have been through quite a traumatic series of events, and very tragic ones, too” Linda commented superfluously, “and it does not surprise me that Grace’s brain is actively trying not to remember the events”

 

“You see, doctor” Lucifer began, leaning slightly forward, “I think my brother wiped her memory so she would not be able to find me again. It would make sense that dear old dad would want to spoil my happiness because he apparently considered us to be ‘a danger to humanity’”

 

“And your use of air quotes here, are they indicative of your denial of that fact?”

 

“Well, those were Uriel’s words, I was merely quoting” Lucifer explained to a still rather stunned Linda.

 

“You haven’t answered my question though, Lucifer. Do you personally believe that the way your relationship was evolving could have posed a threat to humanity? And if so, in what way?” Lucifer thought about the question for a second.

 

“I don’t think anything dangerous could ever come out of that woman. Me, I mean: I am the devil! Of course I am a threat to humanity, that is literally why I became the devil”

 

“So, you are saying that if anything dangerous were to come out of your relationship, it would be because of you and not because of her?” Doctor Martin pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and looked at Lucifer intently.

 

“Doctor, this woman brought out the best in me. And I miss that. She loved me for who I was, with no strings attached. She loved me unconditionally and would never judge me. She would try to make me a better man, she taught me to see the beauties in humanity. I stopped looking for them when I thought she was dead…”

 

Linda heard the sadness in Lucifer’s tone and the way he looked at her told her that he was being completely honest to her. The thought that the devil could be heartbroken had never even occurred to Linda, but then again, she had never expected the devil himself to become her patient. She knew she had to be ready for any kind of surprises.

 

“Why did you stop looking for those beauties in the world?” she asked.

 

“Because what is the point in finding them when I had no one to share my admiration with? She was always so excited about the littlest things: the birds chirping in city centre Los Angeles, the way the sky was painted in warm colours on summer evenings when the sun was setting, the smell of the sea or the sound of the waves crashing onto the beach at night… No one else that I have come to know after she had gone marvelled at such trivial things. It had become aimless to point them out…” Lucifer swallowed the lump in her throat as he opened his heart to Linda. His eyes were staring blankly at the coffee table separating him from the therapist.

 

“What you are describing here, Lucifer, comes very close to the state of mind of a depressed person, which after losing someone you were very close to is nothing unusual. You don’t enjoy the things you used to love doing, you drown your sorrows in alcohol, meaningless sex and in your case also drugs. And you managed to heal over time, but then Grace reappeared and opened wounds that you thought you had managed to close. How does that make you feel?”

 

Lucifer then looked at Linda and she was surprised to see his eyes shimmer with unshed tears.

 

“It hurts, doctor. I wish we could just pick up where we left off, but for some reason Father is making that difficult for us. I thought that spending more time with her would be enough, but I… don’t want to pressure her”

 

“Of course not, and it’s good that you realise that she needs time to adapt and to remember. But you said you two were friends again, yes?”

 

“That is correct” Lucifer confirmed.

 

“Have you two done things together as friends? Gone for a coffee, for a walk in the park or on the beach, or even lunch maybe?”

 

“Not really, no. I was busy helping the detective with cases, and she works night shifts mostly, and at night I’m at the LUX anyway. The odd occasion when we have spoken was when I went to see her at the flat”

 

“Well, make time for her in that case. You know that her schedule is less flexible than yours, I assume anyway. Maybe take an evening or night off from working at your club and take her out to the cinema, or tell Chloe that you need a day off and do something with Grace. It might help you re-forge a bond that you thought was lost” Lucifer nodded to himself, taking in Linda’s words. He found it to be rather good advice and his usual grin returned to his face, which pleased the doctor more than she cared to admit.

 

“You’re right. Thank you very much again, doctor. I’m sure I will be seeing you very soon” Lucifer stood up and, without another word, grabbed his suit jacket and left Linda’s office. Doctor Linda Martin closed the door after him while letting out a satisfied sigh.  

 

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Grace had spent most of the day tidying up the flat while Maze was out bounty hunting for the LAPD. The bathroom, kitchen and living room were spotless and Grace was convinced that it would make up for the fact that she had not gone and done Maze’s bedroom, too. The truth was, the young woman did not want to intrude and she had caught a glimpse of the sex swing and other intricate sex decorations on occasions before. Thus, the thought of going in Maze’s room made her feel rather uncomfortable. As Grace poured herself a glass of orange juice, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Sliding it out dextrally, she noticed Lucifer’s name on the touchscreen.

 

**_Are you working tonight?_ **

The rather simple question was followed by numerous emojis, including a dancing lady, a martini glass, musical notes and a devil emoji. Grace chuckled slightly as she replied:

 

_You and those emojis, you are like a twelve-year old girl._

**_I like them. Now would you please answer my question ;)_ **

****

_I’m not working tonight, how come?_

**_Meet me and Maze at Lux for a drink and some good music?_ **

 

Grace considered the invitation for a moment. She had made it clear that her and Lucifer were friends for the time being, and that she would not tolerate him pressuring her in any way. Then again, she really needed a proper night out; she could not remember the last time she had fun. What could go wrong? She trusted that the man would not do anything other than maybe flirting, which she would deal with accordingly. Smiling slightly, she replied to Lucifer:

 

_Fine, one drink and (hopefully) some good music._

As she was about to put her phone away, Grace noticed that Lucifer was calling her. Perplexed, she answered it.

 

“Maze just texted me that she worries about you not having appropriate clothing for going out.” Lucifer’s velvety voice sounded amused.

 

“I’m sure a black dress and black pumps will be enough to get into LUX. Besides, I know the owner” Grace answered with a smirk. Lucifer snickered at the comment.

 

“I was thinking of something as Maze messaged me actually… you still have clothes at mine, if you’re interested in getting them back?”

 

“Do I really? Well I guess I could come around earlier and have a look at them” Grace took a swig of her orange juice and checked the time, “see you at 7pm at yours?”

 

“Perfect. I’ll see you in an hour”

 

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The ‘ping’ sound of the elevator alerted Lucifer that his guest had arrived. Standing up from his piano bench to welcome Grace, the devil smiled softly when he noticed the young woman taking in her surroundings her mouth slightly agape.

 

“Wow”, was all she could say.

 

“I’m glad you’re impressed. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable” Lucifer gallantly helped Grace out of her jacket, but she was too busy looking around to notice.

 

“How do you afford a place like that?”

 

“The LUX makes good profits, love” Grace let her finger glide over the smooth surface of the massive piano which stood in the middle of the lounge. She frowned slightly when she looked up and noticed the painting hanging on the wall next to the massive window wall with a view over the city of Los Angeles. Grace was however more interested in the work of art than in the scenery. As she walked up to it, she realised that her initial thought was confirmed.

 

“This is a Hieronymus Bosch painting…” she stated matter-of-factly. Lucifer smiled slightly impressed.

 

“You have a keen eye; it is indeed. The Garden of….”

 

“Earthly Delights” Grace finished in unison with Lucifer. She noticed his smile grow wider as he looked at her with pride. The thought made her blush ever so slightly.

 

“This painting has been a mystery to scholars for years. Still today, the interpretations are contradictory, but fascinating. I remember seeing this in an elective class I took at university. In the 1960s, this painting was said to represent how sin came into the world through the Creation of Eve, how fleshly lusts spread over the entire earth, promoting all the Deadly Sins, and how this necessarily leads straight to Hell (*)” Grace explained, lost in thoughts as she remembered the words of the history of art professor, whom she had grown very fond of she recalled. She could not put her finger on the reason for the liking she took in him.  

 

“It has also been argued that the painting shows the joyous world when mankind will experience a rebirth of the innocence enjoyed by Adam and Eve before their fall” Lucifer added, earning himself an impressed look from his guest. Grace’s expression changed completely though when she realised what she had just managed to do. Her face fell as tears welled up in her eyes. Lucifer was unsure of what was happening and instinctively went to cup Grace’s face to wipe her tears away. The young woman merely stared at him in bewilderment.

 

“I remembered… Lucifer, I remembered something that happened before my accident. I took this art history class long before my coma” Her voice got more and more high pitched as excitement took her over. Lucifer, finally realising what was going on, could not help but erupt in baffled laughter.

 

“That’s wonderful news. If this painting managed to trigger a memory, then maybe you are finally starting to heal…” Grace let out a piercing squeal at those words. Unable to contain her happiness any longer, she wrapped her arms around Lucifer and hugged him tightly. In the spur of the moment, he lifted her off the ground and spun them around, rejoicing in the sound of Grace’s exhilarated laughter. He did not let go of her straight after putting her down, which made the young woman look up questioningly. Grace found herself losing herself in Lucifer’s brown eyes again. The two of them stared at each other in silence. Nothing needed to be said in that instant and they both felt something in the air. Grace was the first one to push herself away as she cleared her throat.

 

“I eh… better get ready” she stated, avoiding Lucifer’s gaze. The latter felt like saying something, he wanted to tell her how much he cared, how much he had missed her and everything he had told Linda. He felt this urge to show Grace his true form, be completely honest with her so she could, once again, learn to love him for who he was. Instead, he merely sighed.

 

“I agree. Let me show you to the wardrobe”

 

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1): Ludwig von Baldass’ comment on Hieronymus Bosch’s painting The Garden of Earthly Delights.


	10. Chapter 9

Jake sat at his kitchen table, a bottle of Jack Daniels in hand, contemplating where his life had gone wrong. As a matter of fact, he knew precisely when his life had begun to fall apart. That one night, a fight gone wrong, a beer too many; and a fatal blow to his wife’s head with the bedside lamp. He had barely enough time to see the lifeless body of his wife before he stumbled back in horror at what he had done and himself died from hitting his head on the corner of the bedside table.

 

The night he had accidentally killed his wife would stay branded in Jake’s memory until he died. What else would remain was the visions of the ordeal that had followed: his trip to hell. Jake had woken up in a strange place, oddly tranquil, but dark and unfamiliar. Facing him was his wife, although Jake would soon find out that it was not actually her. She was merely a mirage meant to be used as a torture device to punish him for his action. For you see, in hell they use what you love most against you; and Jake had loved his first wife very, very dearly. His punishment was to watch her die in different ways for all eternity. No matter how much he pleaded, or how loudly he screamed, or how pitifully he sobbed, there was no salvation for him.

 

What happened next Jake could never truly explain, but he opened his eyes to find himself back in his room. That’s when he met Uriel, an angel from Heaven (yes, you heard him right!) who had saved him from his eternal damnation. Before Jake had the time to thank Uriel, the angel offered him a deal: help him keep a young woman away from a certain Lucifer Morningstar (and yes, the actual devil as it were!) by pretending to be her high school sweetheart. Jake would have agreed to anything at the time to secure his staying out of hell. So, here he was, drunk and lonely at his kitchen table, scared because he knew he had failed. Grace had escaped and only God knew where she was and what she remembered. Jake feared the wrath of Uriel were the angel to find, which was bound to happen sooner or later. However, he was also terrified at the idea that Grace had remembered everything, gone back to Lucifer and that the devil was now after him, as well. Tears of panic welled up in his eyes as he took a swig of whiskey straight out of the bottle.

 

“Dear God, please have mercy on my soul” he whispered into the darkness.

 

“God can’t hear you, pal” he heard a familiar voice speak, which made the blood run cold in his veins. Cold sweat was building up on his forehead and making its way along the back of his neck. His hands were sweaty and trembling. He could not see Uriel, but he felt his menacing presence lurking in the shadows.

 

“Please, don’t hurt me…” the human begged miserably, scanning the darkness around him for a sign of the angel. A cruel chuckle met his plea.

 

“Why would I spare you when you managed to let Grace Beauregard escape?” The voice was impossibly close now and before Jake had any time to react, he felt a strong hand cover his mouth and something sharp press against his neck. Panic washed over him as he actively tried not to move.

 

“Do you know where she is? Do you?” Jake slightly shook his head, his distressed cries muffled by Uriel’s hand. “Well, I’ll tell you where she is. Precisely where I did not want her to be; with Lucifer Morningstar’s pet demon. Which means that Lucifer will now do anything in his power to protect her from me. Consequently, you have failed to uphold your side of the bargain, my dear friend” Jake felt tears roll down his cheeks and he sent one last prayer to God, begging for mercy once again, as he expected to wake up in hell. Uriel merely smiled.

 

“However, I am feeling rather generous and I am willing to give you another chance” Jake opened his eyes and looked up at the angel leaning over him with endless gratitude reflected in his eyes. “You will kill Grace Beauregard. I don’t care how you do it, just get it done. Here’s an address; that’s where she’ll be tonight” Uriel placed a piece of paper on the kitchen table as he spoke, “Kill her and you will be rewarded” With those last words, Uriel let go of Jake and vanished as quickly as he had appeared.

 

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“Ready to see my work of art?” Maze asked Lucifer, who was waiting patiently behind the bar of his penthouse.

 

“Of course, let me see” Maze stepped aside as Grace emerged from the bathroom in which Maze had been making her up for the past thirty minutes. She had done a tremendous job as well. Lucifer looked at the young woman standing in the middle of his living room looking as ravishing as ever. She had picked a black satin dress with a red underskirt. The v-shaped neckline was adorned by an arabesque of black rhinestone and the back of the dress was bare. Maze used a red eyeshadow on Grace’s eyes and the same shade of red for her lips.

 

“You are truly a sight to behold, darling” Grace blushed at the nickname and shuffled uneasily.

 

“I am not used to be this…”

 

“Beautiful? Attractive? Mesmerizing? Sexy?” Maze suggested, grinning when she noticed that she made her friend even more uncomfortable.

 

“Now, Maze, that’s quite enough” Lucifer softly chastised the young woman, his usual coy face still plastered on his face, “but she does have a point, Grace, you look ravishing” And despite her shyness, Grace smiled earnestly at the compliment.

 

“Here are the heels I want you to wear” Maze said, handing Grace a pair of black suede which Grace recognised instantly as Louboutin due to the red sole, “I am meeting Linda downstairs in five minutes, so I’ll see you two later” Maze grabbed her leather jacket and walked towards the elevator, leaving Grace and Lucifer behind. The young woman smiled sheepishly at Lucifer.

 

“Guess we should be heading down soon as well” she suggested.

 

“Yes, but first I would like to ask you something” Lucifer placed his empty glass on the bar and stepped towards Grace, who stood fiddling awkwardly with the hem of her dress.

 

“Of course, ask away” her voice sounded less confident than she would have hoped, but she managed to maintain eye contact. Lucifer stared into her eyes and asked in his velvety voice

 

“I would very much like to know what it is that you desire more than anything else?” Grace felt compelled to give an answer, like some form of magic was forcing her to be honest about her deepest longings. She tried to fight it, but in vain.

 

“I want to remember” she whispered softly, so only Lucifer could hear, “I want to know who I am and who I was before” Lucifer shot her a saddened look as he allowed his fingers to wrap around her slender wrist in a silent invitation that Grace did not acknowledge.

 

“You have the devil’s word, love, I will not rest until you remember everything from your past” Grace gazed at him musingly.

 

“May I ask you something as well?”

 

“Well, you just did” Lucifer’s smile grew wider as he noticed Grace roll her eyes, “but I will allow a second question”

 

“Do you believe in God?” Lucifer was slightly disconcerted by the question, but he did a good job not showing it.

 

 

“I believe that he exists” Lucifer finally answered, “but that he stopped caring”

 

“Me too” Grace admitted, “I wonder if there is a way that we could make him listen again? After all, among all the sinners there are still some good people who genuinely need His help” Lucifer nodded and marvelled at Grace’s innocence and purity. Unable to stop himself, he brushed a stray lock of hair off her face.

 

“Sadly, there is not much we can do, I’m afraid” Grace sighed defeated.

 

“I suppose you’re right. But enough of the religious talks” Grace’s expression changed altogether as she smiled cheekily at Lucifer, “I was promised drinks and good music… although I will remain unconvinced about the quality of the music until proven differently”

 

“I don’t like what you are insinuating” Lucifer huffed, feigning offence, “what, in madam’s opinion, is the definition of good music?”

 

“Well, club music is often, you know…” Grace tried to mimic the sounds of beatboxes and the scratching of DJ records, “When people are drunk they love to dance to cheesy songs, mark my words. You can never go wrong with Bon Jovi or Abba at the end of a night out” Lucifer’s appalled expression merely made Grace laugh out loud.

 

“Even the notion is utterly terrifying” the devil commented, looking at Grace like she had gone crazy, “I think you should stay here and rest, are you feverish?” He playfully placed his hand on her forehead, which made her giggle.

 

“Okay, let’s bet”

 

“Oh, gambling, ey? Lucifer likes”

 

“Since the club opens at 11, allow me to put on one cheesy song at, let’s say, half 1. If people go mental and start dancing, all the drinks I will be consuming tonight will be on the house” Lucifer cocked an eyebrow at the terms.

 

“Now, you sound awfully confident about that bet. What if that doesn’t happen?”

 

“I don’t need to worry about that” Grace’s grin grew and her eyes glinted mischievously.

 

“Allow me; if people don’t react the way you think they will, you will let me take you out on a date” Grace’s smile vanished and Lucifer wondered if he had overstepped his boundary. He waited patiently for her reaction, seemingly unfazed.

 

“Fine” Grace eventually conceded, “we have a deal”

 

“I have to say I did not expect that answer, but I will not complain” Lucifer winked at her and offered Grace his arm, “ready to party?”

 

“Like Hell I am” Grace replied, walking off on her own. Lucifer smirked and followed her.

 

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Half past one was approaching fast, not that Grace noticed. She had been having an excellent time in the company of Maze and her friend Linda (who seemed to be more than just a friend). Lucifer, meanwhile, had been busy flirting with various women in the club and going around offering people drinks and making business. Grace was not sure how she felt about his attitude considering he had indirectly asked her on a date. The young woman had however decided not to let Lucifer spoil her mood: she drank and danced even though she despised every single song that came on. Her feet were aching and she knew that they would be covered in blisters, but the alcohol somehow made it bearable. When the young woman noticed Lucifer coming closer to her, she tried to not to stagger.

 

“Having a good time, I see” the man shouted over the music.

 

“The time of my life. But I haven’t forgotten about our bet…” Grace gave Lucifer a knowing look as she downed her umpteenth shot. She had stopped counting after number seven.

 

“Neither have I, beautiful” Lucifer assured her, his smirk ever so coy.

 

“You honestly never stop smiling, do you?” Grace giggled as a hiccup escaped her, “you know, for someone who pretends to be the devil, you are awfully nice and polite and all that…”

 

“Well, thank you dear” Lucifer managed to keep Grace steady when she nearly fell over, not used to the high heels. To his amusement, he noticed the young woman kick her shoes off her feet and carry them in her hands.

 

“Time to talk to Mister DJ” Grace spun around trying to make a way through the crowd. Lucifer noticed some women looking at her derogatorily when they noticed Grace’s state, but the devil’s heart fluttered in his chest at the sight of drunk Grace. She had this aura of innocence about her that made her the purest sinners of all. From the bar, Linda noticed Lucifer staring at the young woman and leaned over to talk to Maze.

 

“Do you think Lucifer knows that he’s falling in love with Grace again?” Maze rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly. As she was about to make a snarky remark she heard the beginning of a pop rock song.

 

“What the …”

 

“Not the song I expected Lucifer to be playing” Linda commented, enjoying the beat nonetheless. Several thrilled outcries were heard as girls squealed in excitement. Maze noticed Grace walk back towards Lucifer, who merely looked around with what looked like a disgusted expression.

 

“That’s because it’s not Lucifer’s pick… he’s so whipped”

 

“Seems like it” Linda chuckled softly, taking another sip of her drink. Meanwhile, Grace stood before Lucifer sporting her best ‘I told you so’ face.

 

“I don’t understand how people can appreciate this…”

 

“Wait until the chorus, the whole place will erupt in song” Grace assured.

 

“Help us all” Lucifer merely said, downing the remaining of his drink. He would never admit that he rejoiced in seeing Grace so excited and if cheesy songs were the way to her heart, then his Father be his witness, he would play them forever. Surely enough Grace’s prognostic turned out to be right. The whole club, including her, sang the chorus to ‘Stacey’s Mom’.

 

“Come on, Lucifer, I know you want to sing, too” Grace urged him to join, but the devil refused despite the young woman insisting. He found it really hard to resist her.

 

“Fine, be a party pooper. Everyone is having a good time” Grace danced to the rhythm of the song and her skin was covered in a fine layer of sweat when it ended. She properly beamed at Lucifer when the people in the club asked for an encore.

 

“Ready for round two?” The song ‘Shut up and Dance’ by WALK THE MOON came on before Lucifer managed to protest.

 

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Amenadiel stood on the platform overlooking the main area of LUX, watching the people downstairs getting drunk and dancing like there was no tomorrow. His eyes were fixated on his brother Lucifer and Grace, who were dancing together to each song that played. They looked happy, something that should please Amenadiel. He truly believed that Lucifer had been through a lot and that a bit of tenderness in his life could only be beneficial to him. But he also knew that Grace was special in her very own way and that what made her special was a danger for humanity. Amenadiel found himself between a rock and a hard place: wanting his brother to be happy and wanting to please his father.

 

“This is not meant to be happening” Amenadiel tensed up when he recognised Uriel’s voice.

 

“There is nothing you can do about it. Maybe it’s father’s way of telling us that Lucifer and Grace are meant to be”

 

“Please, Amenadiel” Uriel’s tone sounded irritated, “why would father want her to be alive? Do you not realise the risk she poses?”

 

“Of course I do, but look at them. They are so happy” Amenadiel pointed towards the dancing couple, but seeing he did not manage to convince Uriel, the angel merely exhaled in defeat. “What do you want to do about it, anyway? Angels can’t hurt humans”

 

“No, but other humans can… I have someone on her case” Amenadiel looked at his brother in shock.

 

“Uriel, you can’t do this”

 

“Father will be proud…” the other angel argued matter-of-factly.

 

“Father has not spoken to us in months, how do you know that this was not his doing?”

 

“Because it simply can’t be” Uriel had to fight the urge to show his wings menacingly. If one of the humans happened to look up at that moment and alert the others, Lucifer would know of his presence. This would make all of Uriel’s efforts to keep a low profile even around other celestial beings redundant.

 

“I can’t let you hurt Grace, she is innocent”

 

“I see you’ve picked your side, Amenadiel…”

 

“No” the older angel snapped, straightening up to his full height in an attempt to appear intimidating, “I already told Lucifer I would stay out of this, but I will still carry out my duty as an angel and protect the innocents, are we clear on that?” Uriel merely looked Amenadiel up and down, not the least impressed but willing to let his brother believe he had the upper hand.

 

“You do what you have to do” With those words, Uriel disappeared.

 

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After the last customer left, Lucifer and Grace were once again on their own. The young woman had gradually started to sober up and to feel the excruciating pain in her feet. Sitting at Lucifer’s piano, she applied the last plaster onto her foot and sighed in relief.

 

“What a night” she said, unable to stop smiling. “I haven’t had this much fun in what feels like years” Lucifer casually leaned against the massive instrument gazing at Grace with amusement in his eyes.

 

“I am glad you feel that way. Do you play?” Grace glanced at her friend, cocking her head inquisitively. Lucifer motioned at the piano.

 

“Oh… I don’t believe I do” she admitted, “but I think it’s one instrument I would love to learn”

 

“Well, maybe I could teach you” Grace smiled softly at the suggestion.

 

“You would totally do that too, huh?”

 

“Of course. _Dictum meum pactum_ … my word is my bond” The young woman knew this to be true, for some reason.

 

“Lucifer… about that date…” Grace begun.

 

“Don’t worry about it, I would not have asked you again. I lost the bet, remember…”

 

“I know, but… don’t overthink this, okay? Would you like to go for coffee at some point next week?” The question came as a surprise to the devil, who had expected Grace to tell him that there was nothing more but friendship possible between them at the moment. Lucifer wondered if it was the alcohol talking, but he knew better than to pass up on the occasion.

 

“I would love to” Grace smiled shyly.

 

“Awesome. Right, I think I better go home” the young woman stood up and made sure she was in possession of her keys and phone. Hesitantly, she placed a kiss onto Lucifer’s cheek, “goodnight, Lucifer”

 

The devil took Grace’s hand in his and placed a small kiss on its back, which made Grace blush.

 

“Goodnight, my lovely”

 

Grace and Lucifer exchanged one more look before she made her way out of the club. She messaged Maze letting her know that she would call an Uber back to their place and that she didn’t have to worry about leaving Linda yet. The two really seemed to hit it off… in every sense of the word. Grace did not want to be the one to cut their night short. When she left the building, Grace booked an uber and enjoyed the cold breeze whipping the hair out of her face. She smiled when she remembered her night and for the first time in a while, the young women knew that things were starting to look up. As Grace was distracted going through her Facebook feed, she only noticed the car parked in the dark alley when she heard the deafening noise of an engine starting and the creaking of the tires as the car accelerated at full speed towards her.  

 

TBC


	11. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello to everyone reading this story and first of all thank you for the lovely feedback and the subscriptions. Makes me excited to see you lovelies so excited about this story. I am enjoying writing this alot, however I have to apologise because this chapter is more of a filling chapter. Howeveeeeer I have two amazing chapters coming up which I can't wait to start writing. So please enjoy nonetheless and stay tuned for more Grace/Lucifer action. 
> 
> Kudos to you all xx

Jake’s heart was racing in his chest as he waited outside the address that Uriel had given him a couple of hours earlier. The LUX night club seemed very busy judging by the flow of people swarming in and out of the building for the past three hours. Secretly, he hoped that Grace would appear surrounded by a group of friends, or that she would manage to immerse herself into the crowd quickly enough so Jake could invoke the fact that he lost sight of her and did not want to harm other innocents in the process. The truth was he did not want to hurt Grace, but he also did not want to go back to hell; he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

As he observed the people coming in and out of the club from the safety of his car, he wondered what his ex-wife would think of him. He gave a mirthless snort at the thought. Cathy would be nothing less by disgusted, ashamed, disappointed in him, and the idea made him sick to his stomach. He had loved his ex-wife dearly, and he blamed himself every single day that God made for her passing. Well, who else was there to blame? He had given up trying to hold alcohol responsible for his violent act. Alcohol had maybe been the problem, but it had been his decision to not get help, it had been his decision to drink and thus, everything was his fault. He had owned up to his mistake, so why would God still want to punish him? Jake would do anything to spend one more hour with Cathy, tell her that he loved her and that she meant the world to him. He had never meant to hurt her. 

Feeling that his emotions were starting to get the better of him, Jake lit a cigarette and pulled on it, letting the smoke fill his lungs. He did not want to hurt Grace; even though he did not love her the way he had loved his ex-wife, he had come to care for her very much nonetheless. She was kind and had a good soul. She did not deserve to die so young with her whole life still ahead of her, but what other choice did he have? It was either kill her or go back to hell, where he would be tormented with pictures of the love of his life dying over and over again for all eternity. He did not think that he was strong enough to go through this ordeal again. Then again, would killing Grace not condemn his soul forever, as well? 

Another hour passed in which most people were starting to leave the night club, getting into taxis and uber cars back to their homes, happy and drunk after a good night. None of them could even phantom that hidden in his car, Jake was waiting for that special someone to come out so he could kill her. He found himself praying to God that he had missed her. He was not a killer. A drunk maybe, although he had managed to get that into check after coming back from the dead. He had vowed not to touch a drop of alcohol again after what had happened to Cathy. He had broken that vow more than once already. Jake was a coward certainly, but not a killer. Grace did not deserve to die. She simply did not. 

Jake had to wait until four in the morning before catching sight of his target leaving the club as the last woman standing. When he saw her lean against the wall, Jake noticed the dreamy smile on her face as she checked her phone, which made him feel even more guilty about what he was about to do. He could not remember the last time he had seen her smile that way. Jake could only describe Grace’s expression as that of a woman in love. She had certainly been happy with him, but Jake knew that it was all artificial: the angel Uriel had made her forget the life and love she had before and Jake was still in love with a dead woman. It seemed now that Grace was finally starting to find her happiness. 

“Please, don’t hate me for this, Cathy” Swallowing the lump in his throat, Jake switched the engine on. 

Grace felt powerless as she noticed the car quickly accelerating towards her, her terrified scream breaking the silence of the early hours of the morning. She was not entirely sure what happened next, but she heard the screeching of the brakes as the car came to a sudden halt mere inches away from her. The young woman’s head started to spin as her adrenaline level fell suddenly but she managed to recognise the familiar face of the man who had been calling himself her husband for the past six months. Her heart dropped in her chest as tears of horror and disbelief welled up in her eyes. Before she had the time to register what had nearly happened to her, her vision was blocked by Lucifer who protectively stood between her and the car. Instinctively, she grabbed onto his arms for support as she felt her knees buckle under the stress of the situation. Grace thought she heard what sounded like a growl rise from Lucifer’s chest and the next thing she knew, Jake was reversing full speed and disappearing into the nights, engines roaring as he raced away from the scene. When Lucifer spun around, Grace’s breath caught in her throat as she thought she saw the man’s eyes flash red. The young woman looked away in shock. 

“Grace, are you alright?” she heard Lucifer ask her, worry obvious in his voice. When Grace’s eyes met the other man’s, she was reassured to see the warm pools of brown staring back at her. 

“Lucifer … “, Grace felt an overpowering feeling of dizziness overwhelm her as she spoke and before she could say anything else, she felt herself go limp in Lucifer’s arms like she was about to faint. As her eyes closed she felt a sense of peace wash over her. 

From the top of the roof opposite the LUX, Uriel had observed the whole scene and was now shaking his head incredulously. How could that excuse of a human being truly believe that hitting Grace Beauregard with his car would effectively get rid of her for good? 

“As much as your father loves humanity, they don’t seem to be the most intelligent beings despite their own claims…” Uriel did not acknowledge his mother’s presence as he watched his brother Lucifer hug Grace close to him. 

“She is starting to remember, is she?” Goddess asked, trying to squeeze a reaction out of her son. 

“She most likely is”

“What are you going to now?” Uriel considered his mother’s question and merely smiled reassuringly. 

“Well, move up the timeline, of course” 

00000000000000000000

Lucifer sat at the side of his own bed where Grace was momentarily laying, watching over her as she recovered from her stressful experience. Detective Decker had been alerted of the incident and had promised Lucifer that the LAPD would do whatever was in their power to catch Jake before he could attempt anything else. In the meantime, Lucifer had vowed to remain by Grace’s side until she woke up. Maze had been alerted as well and she had come as quickly as possible. The look of guilt she wore when she stepped into Lucifer’s penthouse was still plastered on her face as they both waited for Grace to wake up. 

“She’s been unconscious for three hours now. Maybe we should take her to hospital” Maze suggested, breaking the tensed silence that had settled. 

“Not yet. I don’t want to move her unless it is absolutely necessary” Maze noticed that Lucifer’s hands were folded in prayer. Although the demon was convinced that her master was not actually praying to anyone, old habits die hard; it ached Maze’s heart to know that the devil himself was that worried about Grace’s safety. 

“She’ll be alright, Lucifer. She’s strong, even if she doesn’t know it herself” 

“Someone is after her, and it’s not her idiot husband who’s trying to get her killed. Forces far greater than her are at work here, forces that she can’t fight no matter how strong she is! Forces that I might not be able to fight myself…” Lucifer’s voice sounded distressed, but Maze knew that nothing she said would manage to calm down the lord of hell. 

“You’re right, Luci. It was not Grace’s husband’s idea…” The two parties jerked up from their seats at the sound of the intruder’s voice and only Maze visibly relaxed when she recognised Amenadiel. Lucifer, meanwhile, glared at his brother menacingly, his eyes signalling to the angel not to come any closer to Grace. Amenadiel merely raised his hands defensively. “Uriel was at LUX last night… he saw you and Grace dance together. Lucifer, he wants Grace out of the picture…” 

“Well I could have guessed that myself, but how do you know this?” Lucifer asked, his voice dangerously low. Amenadiel tried his best to keep his composure and not waver under Lucifer’s glare. 

“He made it clear that he believed that you and she were not meant to be and that Grace was a threat to humanity…” 

“So, you are telling me that you knew Uriel would potentially attempt to hurt Grace last night and you did not think it was appropriate to inform me?” Lucifer slowly paced towards his brother, who stood his ground bravely. Then again, there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity. Maze wondered if it was wise to come between the two celestial beings, but she did not want anyone in this room to get hurt. As reckless as it felt, she went to stand in front of Amenadiel protectively, which Lucifer did not appreciate in the least. 

“Mazikeen, out of my way…” His human flesh melted away revealing the lord of hell’s true face, but Maze remained unfazed.

“This is not the moment or the place to fight. Grace could wake up any moment…” 

“She would not be in that position if Amenadiel had had the decency of telling me that she was in danger” Lucifer’s voice rose with every word he spoke and he ended up yelling the last part of his sentence. 

“Lucifer, please, you have to believe me I did not expect Uriel to strike that quickly after our conversation…”

“LIAR” Lucifer pushed Maze out of the way and sent Amenadiel flying to the other end of the room. The fallen angel went crashing into the elevator doors, leaving a dent in the stainless steel. His fury was barely containable and Maze did not dare come between the two brothers again, fearing for her life. She knew, however, that she had to do something before things escalated. 

“If there is one thing I despise more than anything else in this world, it’s a liar” As Lucifer took a swing at Amenadiel, Maze noticed that Grace was starting to open her eyes.

“She’s awake” the demon shouted, glad that she got the attention of the two brothers at last, “I saw her open her eyes” Quick as lightening, Lucifer was back at Grace’s side holding her hand in his. 

“Grace? Darling, can you hear me?” he asked her softly, his attitude changing instantly as he felt the young woman move. Grace blinked quickly as her eyes adjusted to the bright light filtering into the penthouse. She seemed rather confused as she looked around the room and noticed the people surrounding her.

“I had a weird dream”, was the first thing the young woman said, “I was in a car park I think, and someone stabbed me with a sharp knife and then disappeared again. I heard someone scream my name, it sounded like a man’s voice, and when I fell to the ground I saw someone’s eyes flash red… was really odd” At those words, the atmosphere in the room changed altogether. Lucifer stared at Grace with sadness in his eyes while Maze and Amenadiel glanced at each other uncomfortably. Grace’s face fell when the realisation hit her:

“It wasn’t a dream, was it? I remembered that happening to me…” Lucifer nodded silently. 

“And believe me darling, of all the things I wish you could remember this was definitely not one of them…” Grace sighed heavily as she closed her eyes and let herself drop back to the silk pillows. She could feel all eyes on her, which made her feel uneasy. “Can any of you explain to me why I have a memory of someone stabbing me?” 

As Grace opened her eyes again, she noticed that all apart from the stranger standing near the penthouse elevator were avoiding eye contact. Lucifer looked the most rueful out of the three, while Maze bit her lip anxiously. Grace locked eyes with the dark-skinned man determinedly. 

“Well? Whoever you are, you seem to know more about this than I do” she commented pulling everyone out of their trance. 

“I do, actually” the man replied, his deep voice sounding calm and composed, “My name is Amenadiel, I am Lucifer’s brother. I was there a year ago when…”

“Let me stop you right there” Lucifer interrupted his brother, “Amenadiel, as much as I appreciate your desire to help us Grace is not ready for the truth yet” His tone, albeit a tad sarcastic, left no room for argument. Grace on the other hand felt outraged at Lucifer’s words.

“Excuse me, but this is my past we are on about, and as much as what happened might have been traumatising for you too, I have a right to know, or rahter I demand to know” Grace never knew that she could muster that kind of challenging tone. However, she had no luck against Lucifer’s stubbornness, as she was about to find out. 

“I don’t deny your right to know, but it must all come from you, not from some second-hand account of the events that might hold some bias in whatever shape or form” at those words, Lucifer shot Amenadiel a pointed look before carrying on, “I know a very good therapist who would no doubt manage to help you remember more of your past by yourself, Grace. And believe me when I say that I wish nothing more but for you to recall what you and I had, but it has to come from you. Try several sessions with Doctor Martin and I promise that if they don’t help, I will sit down and tell you everything. Do we have a deal?” 

Grace looked at Lucifer somewhat surprised at his suggestion, however she could not help but feel glad that he was so determined to have her work on her memory herself. Despite her frustration, she found herself smiling gratefully at her friend and her heart skipped a beat when he tentatively smiled in return. 

“Fine. We have a deal” 

TBC


	12. Chapter 11

“I don’t know, Lucifer, I’ve never been to a therapist before what should I say when I get there?” Grace looked helplessly at Lucifer as he switched off the ignition of the corvette. The man offered Grace a reassuring grin which felt rather unsettling for the young woman.

 

“Linda is brilliant, you’ll see. I’m sure she and you will hit it right off” Grace remained unconvinced, but followed Lucifer out of the car nonetheless. The truth was she was nervous about opening up to someone she did not know, especially to a professional. She felt like this doctor would scrutinise her and analyse every sentence, turn of phrase or word that Grace would use to describe her feelings.

 

“What if she digs up things I did not want to remember?” Lucifer came to a sudden halt, Grace’s words having obviously hit a nerve. As he spun around to face the young woman, she noticed the rather forced smile on his lips. She felt a pinch to her heart when she realised the implication of her words and the effect they would have had on Lucifer, who remembered everything; the good _and_ the bad. Grace bit her lip apologetically.

 

“I… I’m sorry, I never meant to say that I did not want to remember you…”

 

“I promised I would be honest with you, so I feel that you should know that there _will_ be things you wish you did not have to remember. The question is whether you are ready to accept the good, the bad and the ugly about your past. Every life comes with ebbs and flows, but at the end of the day we still all must learn to sail our ship” Grace stared at Lucifer for a while, his words truly speaking to her on a spiritual level. She knew that he was right, and she also knew that she had taken her decision: Grace wanted to know everything that had happened to her before her coma.

 

“You’re right. I’m scared about what I’ll find out, though” Grace admitted in a whisper as if she did not want anyone else to know how vulnerable she felt in that instant.

 

“Would it make you feel better if I came into the room with you? You know, I could offer some emotional support, I’m sure I could add this to my CV: Lucifer Morningstar, past occupation: Lord of Hell, present occupation: bar owner at LUX. Special skills: pillar of strength and support for pretty damsels in distress” His familiar flirty grin was back on his face and his words made Grace giggle, relieving her from some of her nervousness.

 

“I would feel better if you came in with me, actually. If my Lord of Hell doesn’t mind helping a troubled soul on her journey to self-discovery” Grace mocked curtseyed.

 

“When will I ever be able to resist you, my darling?” Lucifer asked her, his infectious smile still plastered on his face. Grace did not seem to realise that Lucifer genuinely felt like he would never be able to deny her anything, and the thought scared him – not that he would ever show it.

 

When the two finally reached Doctor Linda Martin’s office, Lucifer did not even bother to knock. He entered the room, making sure that Grace was following him and smiled broadly at the doctor who sat at her desk eating her lunch, clearly not expecting patients anytime soon. When she realised who Lucifer was dragging behind him, she shot him an aggravated look.

 

“Not only do you barge in here during my lunch break, but you also disregard completely what I’ve told you on the phone when you tried to make the appointment in the first place”

 

“I don’t disregard your words, doctor, I merely believe that you don’t give yourself enough credit” Lucifer motioned for Grace to sit down on the couch, but he noticed the young woman’s hesitation. She could clearly feel that she was not welcome, but that would not dissuade the devil, who was determined for Doctor Martin to help Grace, despite both women being reluctant.

 

“Lucifer, a word?” Doctor Martin abandoned her lunch and left the room after managing an embarrassed and somewhat tense smile in Grace’s direction. Lucifer followed her outside her own office and shut the door behind him. He felt that the best word to describe the reprimanding look the doctor gave him was ‘endearing’.

 

“I told you that I think it’s a bad idea to have Grace work on her past with me considering you told me the whole story. I believe I am too biased to remain objective”

 

“Well don’t be silly, doctor, how is this any different than what you do with me? You know everything about me, that doesn’t make you biased when you give me your opinions, however unwanted those opinions might sometimes be” The doctor rolled her eyes in annoyance but decided not to acknowledge Lucifer’s last comment.

 

“Listen to me, I know you care a lot about Grace and you just want to help, but this is not ethical, Lucifer…”

 

“Now you really can’t play that card, remember you used to accept sex as payment for our sessions”

 

“And I’m sure that Grace would not appreciate if she knew that, so how about we keep those skeletons in the closet?” Lucifer’s satisfied grin did nothing to relax the doctor, but he could sense that she was close to giving in to his request.

 

“All I’m saying is that you have done far more unethical before, adding this to your list really won’t make a difference. Consider it a favour for a friend…” The doctor started into Lucifer’s eyes and sighed heavily as she buckled at the sight of his pleading expression.

 

“Okay fine” she finally conceded, to Lucifer’s great pleasure, “but only because I have come to care very much about you… as a patient” she added quickly, blushing ever so slightly as she realised her mistake. The devil merely grinned.

 

“Shall we in that case?” The doctor nodded and straightened her blazer before entering her own consultation room with a professional smile on her face. Lucifer went to sit down next to Grace, who was nervously fiddling with the fabric of her blouse. The young woman visibly calmed down as she noticed the doctor take place opposite her with a pen and a notepad.

 

“Right, Grace, let’s begin with your story. I want to know everything about you until now”

 

As Grace proceeded to explain to the doctor what had happened over the past couple of weeks, Lucifer marvelled at doctor Linda Martin’s capacity to pretend she did not know anything about her patient at all. His thoughts however quickly turned to Grace as he listened to her explaining her story from her point of view. The longer Lucifer observed the young woman, the more he realised that she had not really changed. She had kept the habit of gesticulating with her hands when she spoke and brushing them through her hair when discussing topics that filled her with uncertainty. Lucifer remembered the first time he had noticed this behaviour in Grace.

 

_It had been a long night at LUX and Lucifer had come back to the penthouse later than usual. Expecting Grace to be fast asleep, he was surprised to find her awake and sitting at the bar trying to fix what looked like an old book which had fallen apart. When she had noticed him enter, her face had fallen and the apologetic expression looked so heartfelt that Lucifer decided he had already forgiven her for whatever mistake she had committed._

_“I’m sorry”, she began explaining, her eyes misty, “I couldn’t sleep and thought I’d read some of your books and… this one fell apart as I took it off the shelf. I didn’t realise it was that old and fragile, and it looks expensive, too. I’m so sorry…” While she was speaking, Grace’s hand was constantly brushing through her messy locks while the other had alternated between rubbing her bare leg nervously and pointing at the book. Lucifer had merely laughed at Grace’s apologies and had placed a reassuring kiss on her forehead._

_“You truly get worked up over so little, my love” he had told her with a fond smile, “come now, let’s both go to bed”_

 

“And after this second memory, Lucifer suggested that I see a professional. And that’s how we all ended up here” Lucifer blinked several times as his thoughts turned back to the problem at hand. He noticed that Doctor Martin was looking at him with a knowing glint in her eyes, which made him wonder if she had noticed him looking at Grace with what had no doubt been a loving look on his face. The devil had the decency to blush slightly at how love-struck he must have appeared to the therapist.

 

“Well, Grace, there is no easy way to start this process. You seem to be able to remember certain aspects of your past when in a particularly vivid emotional state; for instance, you felt a great fondness for your art history teacher at university which in turn reminded you of what he taught you about the Hieronymus Bosch painting. Similarly, Lucifer rushing out to stand between you and the car that nearly hit you reminded you of a time where you were in danger and someone possibly tried to save you, too”

 

“So, you are saying that I need to be in a certain emotional state if I want to trigger memories?” Grace asked softly, hanging onto the doctor’s every word.

 

“Not necessarily, no. Some studies have discovered that something as simple as a smell can trigger long forgotten memories. Think of the smell of an apple pie reminding you of your mother’s recipe, for example. Music can have the same effect, so if you listen to a certain song, you might remember where you were the first time you heard it, and with whom”

 

“Oh, I’ll be able to help with that” Lucifer said, looking at Grace with an excited expression on his face, “I told you she’s brilliant” Lucifer winked at the doctor, who merely smiled proudly at the compliment. Grace, however, did not look convinced.

 

“Grace? Is there something bothering you?” The young woman locked eyes with the therapist and bit her lip nervously. Again, Lucifer knew this reaction far too well.

 

“I just feel that with this process it could take years to recover my memories”

 

“Well I don’t know what you expected when you came in here, but trauma victims take years to recover. I am here to help you navigate through your own mind and find the missing pieces of your life puzzle, if you like. I am not, however, a miracle worker” Doctor Martin admitted frankly, even if the truth was unpleasant to hear for her patient. Lucifer admired her honesty.

 

“Indeed, miracles are my Father’s speciality” the devil commented, trying to make the news more bearable for Grace who looked genuinely distraught and ready to give up.

 

“I’m sorry Grace, but there is no wonder remedy for amnesiac episodes. And there is not ‘one size fits all’ therapy, either. Everyone is different in what they wish to supress and for how long. Effectively what is happening to you is that your brain is trying to protect you from the trauma you’ve experienced. Retrieving your memories will not be an easy task, because you need to overcome yourself and convince your brain that it is the best thing to do”

 

Grace nodded her understanding, even though the pill was still hard to swallow. Lucifer had never known her to be that impatient, on the contrary. He was not sure how he could make her understand that everything would be alright, and that not only he, but also Maze and no doubt the detective, would be here to support her on this journey. His heart tightened in his chest when he noticed the tears of frustration and presumably exhaustion well up in Grace’s eyes.

 

“I’m sorry” the patient apologised as she tried to blink her tears away, “I think I’m just realising how serious the whole situation is” Grace offered the doctor a grateful, but mostly embarrassed smile as the other woman handed her a box of tissues. Unable to see her upset, Lucifer used his angelic ability to soothe her using the last remains of the angel powers he had managed to retain after becoming the ruler of hell. He was pleased to see Grace visibly relax and even smile contently.

 

“Don’t worry, your reaction is… perfectly understandable” Doctor Martin hesitated on that last part when she noticed the change of attitude in her patient, “and just remember that I am always a phone call away if you need anything. Then, of course, you also have Lucifer who is more than willing to help you deal with what you’re going through. I think you can really count on him” Grace nodded and offered Lucifer a genuine smile as she placed her hand on his and squeezed it gently.

 

“Yeah, I know I can”

 

00000000000000000000

 

The drive back to the penthouse had been a quiet one. No one spoke and only the music from the radio could be heard. As Grace let the wind blow her hair out of her face, she closed her eyes and thought about the session and her therapist’s words. She knew deep down that doctor Martin was right and that she would have to be patient. However, the accident she had almost become the victim of made her realise that life was short, and maybe too short to waste on trying to remember. Doubt had once again found a foothold in her heart, however this time she was not sure if she would be able to fight it.

 

As Lucifer was stopped at a red light and the roaring of the Corvette’s engine died down somewhat, Grace managed to make out the song that was playing on the radio. She turned up the volume and softly sang along to the lyrics of _Don’t You Worry Child_ by Swedish House Mafia. Her eyes closed when the chorus came on and without realising it at first, she raised her arms above her head as the Corvette took off again. Grace was convinced that Lucifer was driving faster than the speed limit allowed, and the speed gave her the sensation that her stomach was floating in her chest. She carried on singing, her eyes still closed, and let all her worries wash away. Her heart seemed to thump in the rhythm of the beat and once the instrumental part of the song began, she found herself laughing. Grace finally opened her eyes and looked over at Lucifer, who was merely smiling softly, eyes still on the road. At that instant, both wished this moment could last forever.

 

When they reached Lucifer’s penthouse at last, Grace’s moment of euphoria already felt like a memory. She had allowed Lucifer to wrap his arm around her shoulders as they both stood quietly in the elevator. She knew that she would have to talk to him at some point, but her mind was a chaotic whirlwind of confused thoughts and uncertainties. Lucifer was the first one to break the silence.

 

“I will be honest with you, Grace, I think you should be staying here for a while. As friends, obviously…” Lucifer added as she saw the young woman about to challenge his decision.

 

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Lucifer. I’m sure Maze will be more than happy to have me stay with her again” Grace saw her friend pour himself a glass of whiskey and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

 

“I don’t want to lose sight of you. You could have died a couple of nights ago, I don’t know how I would have coped to lose you a second time… for good, as well. Please, I just want to protect you…” Grace felt anger rise in her as she paced towards a perplexed Lucifer and stopped mere inches away from him. She pointed an accusatory finger at his chest.

 

“ _You_ need to stop making decisions for me. I said I don’t want to stay here, end of story. You need to respect that. I am not any safer here than I am anywhere else, so what is the point?”

 

“You will be safer with me than with Maze. First time she leaves you alone and your crazy husband tries to run you over” Lucifer’s voice rose ever so slightly. His denunciation of Maze was what truly tipped Grace over the edge and her fury was barely retainable at this point.  

 

“You have quite the cheek to put the blame on Maze when you don’t seem to have done a better job than her at ‘keeping me safe’, or else I would not have ended up being stabbed by some stranger, would I?” Her words cut Lucifer to the bone and it was only after she had spoken them that Grace realised how unfair and mean she had sounded. As she was about to apologise, she noticed the other man’s eyes glisten with unshed tears. Her heart broke at the sight, and even more when Lucifer turned around when she tried to put her hand on his arm.

 

“Lucifer, I didn’t mean to…”

 

“Don’t you think I wanted to stop this from happening to you?” his words reflected the hurt and helplessness Lucifer had felt on that night, “don’t you think that if I could have saved you, I would have? I came too late, yes that I admit! But it was _you_ who decided to leave my sight, even though you were aware of the danger” Lucifer faced Grace once again and she felt tears run down her cheeks as well. Whatever her reasons and whatever had happened that night, she knew she had truly screwed up. She felt guilty for accusing him without knowing the full story and the sight of Lucifer’s mirthless smile made a shiver run down her spine.

 

“I’m sorry… I didn’t know…”

 

“No, you didn’t, of course. Do you have any idea how worried I was that night when I found out that you had left to meet with Uriel on your own? I was unable to think straight, I did not even consider contacting Maze to come and help me. All that was on my mind was to get to you as quickly as possible, and when I got there it was too late” Lucifer’s walls started to crumble around him and Grace knew that it was just a matter of time before he gave into his emotions fully. And she was determined to stand her ground and to be there for her friend when it happened.

 

“I’m still blaming myself for everything, Grace. I was hoping that I could find a way to make this right again. Please… let me prove to you that I can protect you. Allow me to rectify my mistake”

 

Grace shushed him softly as she cupped his face in both her hands. She brushed away the tears that had escaped Lucifer’s brown eyes with her thumbs and urged him to look at her as she spoke.

 

“You have nothing to apologise for, Lucifer. I’m sorry for making you feel that way. I don’t need to remember you to know with absolute certainty that you would have done anything in your power to save me if you had got there on time” Grace smiled as she felt Lucifer’s stance soften.

 

“Of course, I would have”, he confirmed, grabbing onto Grace’s wrists in support, “you were my world. You were the first human who accepted me for who I truly was. You were my heaven’s light…”

 

His words touched Grace more than she cared to admit and in the heat of the moment, she decided to kiss Lucifer. His lips were soft and warm against hers and almost instantly she felt him bury his hands in her brown locks, clinging onto her for dear life. Lucifer was hands down the best kisser, passionate yet not sloppy. Grace kissed him back with just as much fervour and she wrapped her legs around his waist when she felt him pick her up. Slowly, and without breaking their kiss, Lucifer moved towards the couch and let himself fall onto it with Grace now straddling him. She started unbuttoning his shirt as her tongue battled with his for dominance. Lucifer’s own hands were busy ripping Grace’s blouse open and caressing the smooth uncovered skin. Before he allowed himself to go any further, the devil broke the kiss and stared at Grace with a serious look on his face.

 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked. The woman straddling him hesitated for a brief instant and Lucifer knew that he had made the right decision to stop. If there was hesitation, it meant that Grace was not entirely ready for this. She shot him an apologetic look.

 

“I think we should maybe take things a bit slower…”

 

“Let me take you on a date tomorrow? A proper date, not a coffee date between friends…” Lucifer suggested almost instantly. Grace, albeit a bit taken aback, smiled happily at the offer. As she slid onto the sofa to Lucifer’s right, she cuddled up against him not willing to abandon the warmth and safety of his embrace quite yet.  

 

“A proper date… yes, why not” Exhausted from the rollercoaster of emotions she had felt that day, Grace managed a small yawn before falling asleep on Lucifer’s couch nestled safely in his arms.

 

TBC


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the longer wait this time around, I wanted to make this chapter perfect and that meant re-writing it I believe a total of three times. I'm still not entirely happy with it, but I thought if I don't post it now, I never will. Hope you guys enjoy it. x

“I don’t see why you felt the need to stage an intervention, Maze” Grace scrunched her nose up as the bristles of the make-up brush her friend was using on her tickled the inside of her nostril, “it’s just a date, I don’t need to look like I’m attending the Oscars ceremony”

 

“It’s _just_ a date? Honey, this is a date with _Lucifer Frickin’ Morningstar_. Believe me, only one woman on the entire planet can claim that she managed to get a date with Lucifer, and that woman is you. You are special, and you should look it”. As Maze blew the excess blush off the brush she was holding, she flashed Grace a cheeky grin, “you impress me. I wish I had him whipped the way you have…”

 

Maze applied the rosy shade onto Grace’s pale cheeks and took a step back to admire her work of art. Her pleased smile made Grace feel queasy, a feeling which must have been reflected on her face. The olive-skinned woman swivelled the chair around so Grace could admire herself in the mirror. Even she had to admit that her friend had done an excellent job, even though it was still more make-up than what Grace was used to. The orange-brown and coral hues Maze had used on her made Grace’s blue eyes seem more vibrant. Her eyelashes looked impossibly long and dark, while her rosy cheeks and mouth gave her face a healthy glow.

 

“Come on! You have to admit you look pretty hot and that’s without much make-up” Grace smiled broadly and turned around to face her friend. She nodded and lowered her head modestly in mock defeat.

 

“You have outdone yourself, Maze. Now all that’s left to figure out is what to do with my hair” Grace looked at her reflection in the mirror, grimacing at her untamed mane of brown ringlets.

 

“Lucifer is crazy for your curls. I wouldn’t change anything” was all the advice Maze gave her, but Grace remained unconvinced. Noticing this, Maze rolled her eyes and rummaged through her vanity bag, producing a bottle of mousse mere seconds later. She then proceeded to apply some of it to Grace’s hair to give them more volume, shine and bounce.

 

“Better?”

 

“Better.”

 

After this make-over Grace still did not know where Lucifer was taking her and any amount of questions had resulted in zero answers from Maze. She had vowed to keep Lucifer’s plans a secret and Grace was convinced that she would take them to her grave, and had therefore quickly given up on the questioning.  

 

“What I’m wondering is what clothes you should wear?” Maze tapped her chin pensively, scrutinizing her carefully. Grace felt uncomfortable under Maze’s stare and cleared her throat nervously.

 

“Well, if you gave me a clue as to where we are heading I could help you brainstorm” Maze cackled sarcastically.

 

“My momma didn’t raise a fool. A psycho, maybe, but not a fool. Besides, I don’t mean to be rude, but your taste in clothes is terrible” Grace pretended to be offended by that statement as she dramatically placed her hand over her heart.

 

“You know where that hurt, Maze? Right here” she said, pointing at her heart. Maze did not seem to feel bad about herself in the least.

 

“I couldn’t be more sorry” was all she said, her voice as disinterested and sarcastic as was humanly possible. Grace chuckled softly to herself.

 

“Luckily for you I came prepared and I think I have just the outfit for you” Maze finally said, disappearing into Lucifer’s living room long enough to grab the clothes she had bought for her friend earlier that day (with Lucifer’s money, of course). Grace was genuinely surprised when she noticed the clothes in her friend’s hands were not fancy or overly smart, but rather (as Maze had put it) casual-chic.  

 

“Salmon jeans and a white lacy top? What, that’s it?” Maze glared at Grace, genuinely offended by her lack of enthusiasm.

 

“Well, sorry if those are too boring for you”

 

“I never meant to offend you, I’m sorry. I guess I just expected something else. You know, along the lines of tight revealing cocktail dress you could wear at a fancy business dinner, not the kind of outfit you could wear at your local Chipotle”

 

“Well sorry to disappoint, princess. You who has been nagging me all afternoon for a clue” Maze waved the clothes in Grace’s face, “here’s your clue. Not a fancy outfit. Make of it what you like” Her friend threw the clothes for Grace to catch, which she barely managed, and left the room to allow her friend to get changed in peace. Only when the young woman took a more careful look at the outfit did she notice that Maze had included lacy red thongs and a matching red push-up bra (of course). Although slightly shocked at her friend’s boldness, Grace let out an incredulous chortle and proceeded to get dressed. She felt reassured to know that Lucifer had not booked anything fancy to impress her.

 

Grace reappeared into the main living area of Lucifer’s penthouse once she had finished getting dressed only to find her date and Maze conversing casually among themselves. She had not expected Lucifer to be dressed in anything less than black suit trousers, white shirt and black-lace up derbies, but that seemed to be his definition of casual. You know, rich people problems. Grace cleared her throat to make her presence known, which immediately caught the attention of both Maze and Lucifer. The latter stared at his date approvingly, eyeing her up and down which made the young woman blush ever so slightly. She awkwardly avoided eye contact with her opponent.

 

“You look stunning” A small smile appeared on Grace’s lips at those words and she felt the flush on her cheeks intensify. She hoped that her make-up would cover it up.

 

“Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself” Grace returned the compliment. In the meantime, Maze had packed up the remaining of her stuff and was making her way to the lift. Before she disappeared behind the closing doors of the elevator, Grace managed to shout a loud thank you at her friend.

 

“And then there were two…” Lucifer smiled at Grace, offering her his arm which the young woman gladly took.

 

“So, Lucifer… what have you got planned for us tonight? Where are you taking us so modestly dressed?” Lucifer picked up on the sarcasm in his date’s voice as she looked at his outfit sceptically.

 

“What?” he asked defensively, “I’m not even wearing a suit jacket” Grace could not help the chuckle that escaped her mouth at Lucifer’s words. When he shot her a questioning look she merely shook her head.

 

“So, where are you taking me?” 

 

“We don’t have far to go, I promise. Do you trust me?” The question took the young woman by surprise.

 

“I… I think I do” she said after a moment of hesitation. Grace noticed Lucifer smile reassuringly and take out a black tie out of his trouser pocket. The next thing she knew Grace was letting him blindfold her.

 

 

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“I really don’t think we should spy on them” Linda felt uneasy as she watched Maze set up a telescope on the roof opposite the building where Lucifer and Grace would be spending a romantic evening together.

 

“Oh Linda, don’t worry about the morality of this. Look” Maze pointed to Amenadiel, “he’s an angel and he’s just as guilty as us”

 

“I am merely looking out for my brother. Uriel could be lurking somewhere, and only Father knows where our mother has disappeared to…” Amenadiel tried to justify his presence, but Maze was no fool.

 

“Keep telling yourself that, Fury of God, but I know that deep down you are dying to have a peek through this telescope…” The silence that ensued confirmed Maze’s theory.

 

“I really think we should leave them to it” Linda insisted, “it’s not like we can hear what they’re saying anyway…” Maze rolled her eyes at her lover’s words.

 

“We don’t need to hear them, I just want to know if they’re going to do the naughty on that roof”

 

“MAZE” Linda and Amenadiel both cried out, one in appalled shock at the thought of intruding two people’s privacy in such a manner; the other one in disgust at the thought of seeing his brother do _it_.

 

“What? Come on, don’t you guys want to know if they’re gonna kiss?” the demon asked.

 

“Watching them kiss and have sex are two different things, Maze. One of them is creepy and illegal…” Linda remarked, making Maze roll her eyes.

 

“Fine, if you want to be party poopers…” Maze aimed the telescope at the building directly opposite the one the three of them were standing on and peeked through the eye piece.

 

“They’re there already” Maze let out an excited gasp as she observed the scene unfolding before her eyes, “he blindfolded her already, naughty Lucifer…”

 

“He WHAT?” Linda did not wait for an answer from her lover and shoved Maze to the side so she could have a look herself.

 

“Well don’t be selfish Linda, tell us what you can see” The curiosity in Amenadiel’s voice was unmistakable, which earned himself a coy smirk from Maze. The angel merely ignored her.

 

“Lucifer is standing behind Grace, he’s taking the blindfold off… he only meant to surprise her” Linda pulled back from the telescope, red with embarrassment at having spied two of her clients.

 

“Don’t stop watching when it gets interesting” Amenadiel stepped in Linda’s place and watched as his brother showed Grace the surprise he had prepared for her. The fallen angel had to admit that Lucifer had outdone himself: a table had been laid and decorated with a single gilded candelabra in the centre. Amenadiel noticed Grace’s delighted expression and smiled slightly as he saw the young woman look up to the cloudless sky with marvelling eyes. Meanwhile Lucifer held up two brown bags most likely containing their dinner and judging by the look on Grace’s face, she must have been the happiest woman on the planet in that instant.

 

“What’s happening?” Linda and Maze both inquired, looking at the angel expectantly.

 

“They are about to have dinner” he told the two women.

 

“Right, it’s my turn again” Maze decided, pushing Amenadiel to the side and taking his place behind the telescope. She saw how Grace came closer to Lucifer and embraced him, no doubt thanking him for the gesture. The devil pulled the other woman impossibly closer to his chest and buried his hand in her messy curls, kissing the top of her head softly, probably too softly for Grace to even notice. The scene was so disgustingly sweet it made Maze gag ever so slightly.

 

“What happened? Why the nauseated face?” Linda asked her lover.

 

“They are being cute” The little endearing squeal that the doctor produced made both Maze and Amenadiel cock an eyebrow in amusement. Linda merely cleared her throat nervously and readjusted her glasses as if nothing were. Maze merely shook her head and returned her attention to Lucifer and Grace. They were both sat at the table enjoying their meal. Maze allowed Linda to have another look.

 

“Oh, they uncorked the wine and lit the candles. Who would have thought that Lucifer Morningstar, the actual devil, could be so romantic. My God she has him eating out of her palm…”

 

“Literally or figuratively?” Amenadiel asked.

 

“What do you think, feathery genius? Grace has Lucifer at her feet, but he’s still the King of Hell…” Maze defended her former master, oddly defensive of his reputation.

 

“I’m sure he’s done plenty degrading things before, especially in the sexual department”

 

“Guys” Linda interrupted them, “They’re holding hands. Lucifer placed his hand over hers and she seemed hesitant to start with, but she interlocked their fingers”

 

“Interlocked… where do you come up with words like that?” Maze scrunched up her nose ever so slightly. Meanwhile, Amenadiel demanded a shot of the telescope, which Linda reluctantly allowed.

 

In the meantime, Lucifer and Grace were unaware that they were being watched and that Linda, Maze and Amenadiel were taking turns spying on them. Not that either of them cared, especially not Lucifer. The devil felt like the happiest man alive. His plan had turned out perfectly. He had managed to convince one of his bar owner friends, who conveniently owed him a favour, to organise a candle-lit dinner on the roof of his building. It was the perfect night for it; the stars were out and shining like diamonds in the sky and the moon crescent was out and visible. They had an incomparable view over the rooftops of Los Angeles and the sparkle in Grace’s eyes every time she caught a glimpse of her surroundings never failed to make Lucifer’s heart skip a beat.

 

“Thank you for dinner, those burgers were amazing. And the wine is delicious” Grace took a sip of the rich liquid and licked her lips when a drop managed to escape. Lucifer felt a wave of arousal wash through him, but he tried with all his might to hide this from his date. He wanted to do things right this time. This felt like a second chance.

 

“I thought you would enjoy it. Even though you were never the kind of woman to enjoy luxuries, you always appreciated fine wine” Lucifer smiled fondly at the memories flashing through his mind of Grace having one too many drinks of pinot and ending up either a blabbering or horny mess… there had never been any in between.

 

“Did you often surprise me like that?” Grace asked her date with curious eyes, taking another sip of her wine.

 

“On occasions… although I certainly could have done more to show you how much I cared for you” Lucifer admitted not without regret filling his voice. Grace nodded solemnly, seemingly lost in thought.

 

“They do say that you never know what you got till it’s gone” Grace said with some melancholy. Lucifer merely smiled mirthlessly.

 

“Oh love, I knew exactly what I had. I knew exactly how lucky I was to have found someone as understanding, loving and patient as you were. It was not always easy to be Lucifer Morningstar’s girlfriend. The truth is, I never thought I would lose you” The admission seemed to hit Grace hard for she was silent for a while before she eventually put her glass down to look Lucifer in the eye.

 

“Most often than not people take their partners, families, or friends for granted. That doesn’t mean that they’re bad people”

 

“Wrong is wrong, even if everyone is doing it” Lucifer downed the rest of his wine and immediately refilled his glass. He could feel himself getting lost in his emotions and usually alcohol helped him escape the sea of feelings threatening to overwhelm him. Tonight, however, his date was having none of it. She took the glass and the bottle away from him, putting it to the ground. After taking both of Lucifer’s hands in hers, she spoke in a stern, yet reassuring voice.

 

“You seem to blame yourself for a lot of what happened in the past. And I’m not just talking about us. But Lucifer, you need to understand that you can’t write a new chapter if you keep re-reading the old one” Her words made sense to the devil, and probably hit him a little too close to home. In that instant, he felt like he wanted to avoid making the same mistakes with Grace as he had in the past. In that instant, he wished to show her his true form so she could truly love him for who he was, and from the very start this time. However, Lucifer also knew that deep down, the devil was a coward. Especially when he started to care.

 

“That was very philosophical and poetic” was all he said to Grace, who blushed an adorable shade of pink. Wanting to distract from the current subject Lucifer decided to move up the timeline. He stood up and went to uncover a massive piano which had been hidden by a white sheet all this time. That’s right! A piano. Why, you might ask yourselves? Because Lucifer Morningstar can afford to rent a piano and to hire someone to bring the instrument up a forty-storey building, that’s why. Take that, everyone who has ever planned the ‘most romantic date ever’. The look in Grace’s eyes was precisely the reaction that the devil had been going for. He wanted their date to be perfect in every single way. 

 

“Lucifer, how did you manage to…”

 

“Shh” Lucifer brought his index up to his lips and smirked cockily, “just enjoy the show” With these words, his fingers began roaming over the smooth black and white keys, the melody thus produced echoing over the rooftops of Los Angeles. He was not sure if Grace remembered their song, but Lucifer did not really care. Closing his eyes in concentration, he began singing in a deep velvety voice.

 

**_You light the skies, up above me_ **

**_A star, so bright, you blind me, yeah_ **

**_Don’t close your eyes,_ **

**_Don’t fade away, don’t fade away, oh_ **

****

As Lucifer went on to sing the chorus, he locked eyes with Grace and noticed her surprised expression.

 

**_Yeah, you and me, we can ride on a star_ **

**_If you stay with me, girl_ **

**_We can rule the world_ **

**_Yeah, you and me, we can light up the sky_ **

**_If you stay by my side_ **

**_We can rule the world_ **

****

Grace’s hand came to cover her heart as if she was trying to stop from beating it too fast, which only made Lucifer’s smirk grow wider as he carried on singing.

 

**_If walls break down, I will be there for you_ **

**_If angels cry, oh I’ll be there to comfort you_ **

**_You’ve saved my soul_ **

**_Don’t leave me now, don’t leave me now, oh_ **

****

**_Yeah, you and me, we can ride on a star_ **

**_If you stay with me, girl_ **

**_We can rule the world_ **

**_Yeah, you and me, we can light up the sky_ **

**_If you stay by my side_ **

**_We can rule the world_ **

****

Lucifer stood up and walked towards where Grace was sitting, pulling her up from her chair. Gently, he pulled her close to him once again and began slow-dancing under the moonlight. The moment was perfect, just like he had intended it to be. For an instant, he knew that both had forgotten about everything that had happened in the past couple of weeks, and it felt relieving. They danced carelessly, as if no one was watching, both lost in the moment. As Lucifer leaned in closer to Grace’s face, he wondered if she would kiss him again. He stopped mere inches away from her lips and allowed her to make the final move, thus giving her the option of pulling out of it if she thought that he was taking it too fast. To his immense pleasure, Grace sealed their lips with a loving kiss.


	14. Chapter 13

Amenadiel had vowed to stay out of Lucifer and Uriel’s business. He had vowed not to take sides and to be the neutral brother for once. He had vowed to remain impartial for the sake of integrity and because he felt like he could not choose between his brothers. The truth was, Amenadiel by far preferred Lucifer to Uriel; despite Lucifer rebelling against their father, escaping Hell where he was supposed to spend eternity and directly disobeying God’s wishes, at least the devil was not trying to get humans killed. Destroying a human was, in Amenadiel’s eyes, a greater insult to his father than Lucifer’s rebellion ever could have hoped to be. His father cherished the humans, they were his pride and joy, as much as some had condoned that feeling. Destroying an innocent human at that was the capital sin for an angel. Therefore, Amenadiel had reasoned with himself that the only side he was choosing was his father’s. And it happened to coincide with Lucifer’s beliefs for once. He had to save this innocent human from being unjustly killed.

 

Amenadiel had spent time tracking Uriel and the Goddess, and despite them covering up their tracks well, neither of them were as experienced as Lucifer or Amenadiel when it came to hiding among the humans. It had not been difficult to locate the two celestial beings, however reasoning with them would prove more difficult. Amenadiel had a feeling that this meeting would end up in a fight, and he was aware that he was physically not up to the task. Despite that knowledge, he had to try and save Grace Beauregard from being killed. She was not the one who deserved punishment. As the fury of God walked towards the abandoned warehouse he knew Uriel and his mother were in, he tried to compose himself and consider what words to use to convince his mother and brother to stop this nonsense. He was convinced that they would have managed to pick up his presence by now and when he opened the doors, his theory was confirmed. Uriel and Goddess spun around casually, turning their backs on their male captive, who had been tied onto a chair and gagged with black duct tape.

 

“Ah, Amenadiel. What a pleasure to have you join us. I am truly delighted that you decided to pick our side, that was the only clever decision” Uriel beamed at his brother, walking towards him, his welcoming smile clashing with the sight his wings gradually spreading menacingly. Amenadiel understood this to be a sign of Uriel’s superiority over him, and in that instant, the older angel knew that this altercation would not end well for him. He had to try.  

 

“I haven’t actually picked your side, Uriel. Or Lucifer’s. I’m on Father’s side” His words earned him a disdainful snort from his mother.

 

“Please, your father has stopped caring about the humans a long time ago. Do you truly believe that in his grand scheme of things, someone as insignificant as Grace Beauregard would matter?”

 

“I do believe so, mother. I firmly believe that she is important and that father intended for her to be in Lucifer’s life somehow” Amenadiel argued. Uriel clicked his tongue in annoyance and sighed heavily as he took several steps back.

 

“Chloe Decker is Lucifer’s true soulmate, son. Grace Beauregard is nothing but a hindrance to your Father’s actual plan: have Chloe and Lucifer fall in love. You of all angels should know that” Goddess walked towards her eldest son and went to place her hand on his cheek, but Amenadiel jerked away from the gesture.

 

“I blessed Penelope and John Decker with a child, but that does not necessarily imply that she is Lucifer’s soulmate. What if we misread God’s actions? Don’t you think that if Father had wanted Grace Beauregard out of the picture, he would not have let me spare her the first time you killed her?” The direct attack at Uriel was enough to spark fury in his younger brother and were it not for their mother standing right next to Amenadiel, the older angel would have felt the force of Uriel’s blow.

 

“Boys! Please, no fighting. Amenadiel, you can’t possibly believe that your father would make Lucifer go through the pain of finding the woman he loved only to realise that she forgot all about him?”

 

“What if Father is the reason Grace and Lucifer found each other again?” Goddess glared at her son for daring to speak back to her, and in a threatening manner, she towered over him. Amenadiel made a point not to budge.

 

“He is not the reason, Amenadiel. Do you want to know how I am so sure? Because it was me that told Lucifer about Grace. So he would not send me back to hell. And now, this young woman is going to serve our purpose” Amenadiel raised an eyebrow at his mother’s words.

 

“By all Heavens, what do you mean?” Goddess and Uriel merely smiled at each other.

 

“Well, brother” Uriel began explaining, “she will be our bargaining tool to send Lucifer back to hell. We will tell him that she’ll get to live if he agrees to return with mother dearest to the underworld where they both belong. Is that not also what you wanted?” Amenadiel did not really understand the dynamic of Uriel and their mother’s relationship, but he decided to ignore that for now.

 

“You will spare her life?” the elder angel asked. Uriel snorted derisively at his brother’s words.

 

“Of course not, silly. I cannot risk having someone like _her_ roam the world that our Father created. She is dangerous, she is evil. Father could not have intended for such a monstrosity to live. Lucifer _would_ find his way back to her, he is so besotted. As soon as mother and our dearest brother are back in hell, I’ll have this champion over here kill her” Uriel pointed at the tied-up prisoner, who visibly tried to hold back the tears of fear that threatened to roll down his cheeks. Amenadiel looked at him intently and noticed the man’s pleading eyes.

 

“Who is this?”

 

“This, son, is Jacob Hoffmann. He was married to Grace before I sent Lucifer to check on her. You see, he’s already killed his wife before, so he has the potential to kill again. Plus, he has an incentive, doesn’t he darling?” The last word, directed at Uriel, was spoken with such sarcasm it made Amenadiel’s heart bleed for his younger brother. As much as he loathed Uriel just now, he knew how left-out and neglected the younger angel had felt throughout his life. These actions certainly would only fuel his anger.

 

“Indeed. I promised this desperate soul that he would not have to face hell again if he kills Grace for me”

 

“What? But Uriel, you know that you can’t…” Before Amenadiel could finish his sentence, he felt Goddess’ power propel him backwards until he collided with a cement wall forcefully, knocking the air out of his lungs. Unable to get up fast enough, he felt Uriel kick him in the stomach and in the face.

 

“Now, now, brother… I can’t have you ruining my plans, can I? And for good measure” Amenadiel’s hands and ankles were being bound and his mouth was covered with duct tape, “we don’t want you running to Lucifer and telling him, do we?”

 

Amenadiel merely managed to glare at his brother and mother, feeling betrayed but knowing full well that he had walked into this trap himself. _Father, if you have any interest left in humanity, I beg of you, at least protect the innocent._ Amenadiel did not believe his father would listen.

 

 

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_Hello Amenadiel, this is your favourite brother Lucifer. I have been trying to get a hold of you for the past three days, so if you would do me the honour of calling back it would be much appreciated. Kisses._

_Amenadiel, this is Luci speaking. Second voicemail, I’m starting to feel like a needy college girl desperately trying to reach her crush. Call me back asap. Kisses._

_Alright listen up, I don’t care if you are the Fury of God, the devil hates to be ignored. If you don’t dignify me with a call back, I am coming to find you and knock you into the middle of next week._

_That’s it, I’m coming for your feathery arse whether you want it or not. See you soon, Fury of God._

Despite the tone he used in his voicemails, Lucifer was genuinely worried. He knew Amenadiel had wished to not get involved in Lucifer and Uriel’s feud, but their mother was missing and that fact made the devil feel agitated. He had not been able to find her or reach her, which had led him to believe that she might be involved in Uriel’s plan. The thought not only made him angry, but also concerned: Goddess was a powerful asset to have on one’s side. Lucifer was not sure if he could defend himself against his mother’s strength. Checking his phone again for what it felt like the thousandth time that day, Lucifer decided to try his brother’s number one more time. He speed-dialled his number and brought the phone to his ear. After only a couple of seconds he was met with the characteristic beep telling him that his call had been redirected to voicemail.

 

_Amenadiel, I’m going to say this one time so I want you to listen carefully: please, call me back. I need your help. Mum is missing and I have a funny feeling that she’s up to no good. If you care about Gr… about the humans at all, then have the decency to contact me._

Unlike his previous messages, Lucifer hoped that this one would convince Amenadiel to have a chat with him. After the devil hung up and threw his phone onto the sofa in frustration, he felt two skinny arms wrap around his lean waist as Grace’s head came to rest lazily against his back. He heard more than felt her kiss the spot between his shoulder blades through the fabric of his suit. The gesture made Lucifer flinch ever so slightly, for Grace had unconsciously kissed the scars where the devil’s wings used to be before Maze cut them off. The young woman did not seem to notice.

 

“Morning” she mumbled groggily. Lucifer turned around so he could embrace her, pulling her protectively against his chest. After the success of their first date, Grace and he had carried on dating and last night had been her first proper sleep over. Although the two had shared a bed, Lucifer had agreed to no sex until Grace was ready. Despite being the devil, he put great importance on the notion of consent. He would not attempt anything unless he was sure that Grace truly wanted it. Even though he woke up that morning with a serious case of blue balls.

 

“Morning, darling” he greeted Grace back, kissing the top of her hair softly, “how did you sleep?”

 

“Like a baby, actually. Although I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the silk sheets” the young woman replied with a smirk. Lucifer pretended to be offended by that comment.

 

“Well if silk is not good enough for my Lady…” Grace giggled and had to stand on her tiptoes so she could place a soft kiss onto Lucifer’s lips. The devil’s heart fluttered in his chest at the sensation which caused him to pull Grace even closer to his body if that was possible. She welcomed the embrace by burying her face in Lucifer’s chest, taking in the scent of his cologne.

 

“Do you have to leave already? It’s not even 9 yet”

 

“As much as I would love to stay here with you all day I have made commitments for today. I’ll be back tonight, however. If you are still here, I promise I’ll make it up to you”

 

Grace looked up at Lucifer with the most adorable pout on her lips. Her eyes were still heavy with sleep and her body was covered in goose bumps from being out of the warm bed for too long. Sighing heavily at the realisation that Lucifer would not change his mind, she huffed and went back to bed. The sight made the devil smile ever so slightly. He went to get his phone from the couch and walked over to where Grace was lying on the bed to kiss her forehead gently. His action was met with a tired, yet content groan.

 

“See you soon, beautiful”

 

When Lucifer left the building, he furrowed his brow in worry when he noticed that Amenadiel still had not called back. Too impatient to wait any longer, the devil dialled Mazikeen’s number and was greeted seconds later by her annoyed voice.

 

“What?”

 

“I need you to do what you do best, Maze” Lucifer vaguely explained, which earned him an irritated sigh from his friend.

 

“And what would that be?”

 

“I need you to find Amenadiel”

 

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Later that morning, Grace had been pulled out of her slumber by the vibrating sound of her phone which she had slipped under her pillow the night before. Exhaling heavily, the young woman had sleepily reached for the device and answered the phone, her voice raspy and hoarse.

 

“Grace speaking”

 

“Grace, hi it’s Chloe. I hope I’m not disturbing you, but I will need you to come into the station today. I need to have a chat with you about your husband Jacob Hoffmann”

 

At the mention of her husband’s name, Grace had felt all kinds of emotions: dread, disgust, anger, but most importantly guilt. She knew that she was still married and her ‘relationship’ with Lucifer felt just as bad as cheating on Jake. Grace did not think that she had ever been a religious person, although she could not be sure, but her morals were still strong and she despised herself for disregarding her vows despite what Jake had tried to do to her.

 

“Did you find him?” she had asked the detective.

 

“I’m afraid we haven’t. I really don’t want to speak about this over the phone, do you think you could come to the station as soon as possible?”

 

“Of course. I’ll be there shortly” Grace had agreed before hanging up.

 

About an hour later she walked into the station, scanning the room for Chloe Decker. The detective was sitting at her desk, tapping away on her keyboard with a concentrated expression on her face. Grace went up to Chloe’s working station and smiled shyly at the detective once she had been noticed.

 

“Grace, good morning I’m glad you could make it so quickly. Please, have a seat”

 

The young woman pulled the chair back and sat down opposite of Chloe, placing her purse on the desk in front of her. The detective applied a signature to various documents lying around on her desk before gathering the loose sheets of paper together and throwing them into a plastic paper tray to sort out later.

 

“So, I’m sorry for not telling you more on the phone, I hope you had no obligations this morning”

 

“No I was just… at a friend’s” Grace admitted, remaining vague as to whom she was referring to, “what did you discover about Jake?” The question seemed to make the detective slightly uncomfortable as seemed to look for the right words to use. This made Grace feel particularly anxious.

 

“Grace, your husband’s attempt on your life was not the first offence he committed in his life. And I’m glad you are sitting down for this, because I think what I’m about to tell you will come as rather shocking news”

 

“At this point, detective, I’m prepared for the worst possible scenario” Chloe nodded empathetically, offering Grace a reassuring smile hoping to alleviate the tension in the air.

 

“My colleagues have found a police report from the Asheville Police Department telling of a marital fight gone wrong. A year ago in Asheville, a drunk husband, Charles Peterson, killed his wife by accident before dying himself of a concussion most likely caused by falling over, according to the medical examiner” Grace shot the detective a confused look.

 

“I don’t understand, what has that got to do with Jake?” Instead of answering, Chloe spun the computer screen around so Grace could have a look at the police report herself. Her heart dropped in her chest when she recognised the dead man on the picture. It was Charles Peterson, or rather…

 

“Jake… no it can’t be…”

 

“This happened just over a year ago, Grace. At about the same time as your coma…” Chloe gave Grace a couple of minutes to digest the news, but the young woman could not in a million have imagined this to happen to her. She was unsure how to react and merely stared at the screen in silence, her mouth agape and her eyes moist with unshed tears.

 

“I’m so sorry, Grace. I know this is a lot, and if you would like for one of us to give you a ride home after this we happily will. I just thought you needed to know, because now we need to place you under proper police supervision…”

 

“No!” Grace snapped out of her trance and looked at Chloe with pleading eyes, “no, I don’t want to live like that”

 

“Grace, please you must understand…”

 

“Don’t you people see that all I want is to live a normal life?” Grace interrupted the detective abruptly, “I just want to be able to enjoy myself, start from scratch. I had it all, I had the white picket fence life, I had a husband, a job… all of that is gone now, and I have learned to deal with it. I’m starting to move on. So please, don’t make me look back. I’m begging of you, don’t make me live in fear. I have friends who will make sure I am safe…”

 

“I don’t think that will be quite enough…” Chloe tried to argue, but Grace was having none of it.

 

“Lucifer works with the LAPD, he will be enough. I am confident that he will not let anything happen to me. He will not let Jake near me. At least give him a trial run, please…” Chloe considered the option and as much as she wished to put actual police officers on the case, she felt that it would be nearly impossible to convince Grace to get on board with that idea. Sighing in defeat, Chloe reluctantly agreed.

 

“Fine. I’ll call Lucifer and let him know. In the meantime, my colleague Dan will escort you back to wherever you’re staying” Grace managed a relieved smile and shot Chloe a thankful look.

 

“I appreciate everything you’re doing for me, detective” The recognition warmed Chloe’s heart.

 

“It’s my job to protect the innocent, Grace. We will find him and bring him to justice. I promise”

 

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“Lucifer, that is… very big news, actually. Are you sure that it’s the right time for that kind of revelation?”

 

Lucifer’s smile faltered for a brief second at Linda’s hesitation, but he did not let that bring him down. He was absolutely convinced that this was the best decision he had taken in a while.

 

“I don’t want to make the same mistake as last time, doctor. When Grace and I first started going out, I never showed her my true face. I told her countless times that I was the devil, like I do with everyone really. But I never showed my true form until much, much later. And it nearly cost me our relationship…”

 

Linda nodded understandingly, taking a minute to ponder her next words.

 

“Why did you never show your face to her the last time until much later on?” The question took the devil by surprise and made him feel beyond uncomfortable. Revealing this meant revealing parts of himself that he had wished to keep buried forever, if possible. However, Linda had already seen him in his most vulnerable state and gathering his courage, he decided to tell her.

 

“My conscience was clear knowing that I had not lied to her about who I am. I mean, I don’t hide the fact that I am the devil. Showing her my true face, showing her the devil in person… it would have made it all real. I was scared that she would run away in fear, simple as that”

 

“Don’t you think that by keeping your true identity from her for so long, you still lied to her…” Lucifer snorted mirthlessly and shook his head.

 

“No, doctor. I don’t think so. I scared her. She feared me and that’s why she nearly left the last time. This time, I want her to know exactly what she is getting herself into. I want her to have a choice to leave now…”

 

Lucifer locked eyes with the doctor and noticed the small smile on her lips. She looked sad, although the devil could not understand why. He thought that Linda would be pleased to know that he was ready to open up to people. Instead, she seemed close to tears.

 

“Many humans cannot muster that sort of maturity when it comes to relationships. It’s very noble of you to want to give her a choice, even if it means that she’ll leave and possibly not come back. However, I think she always had a choice”

 

“I highly doubt that. Who could ever love the devil, after all”

 

“Well, I consider you my friend, Lucifer. Even after seeing your true form and, granted, being terrified of you for a while. So, if you can have friends who care about you, you can have someone love you, too”

 

 

The therapist’s words hit a nerve for Lucifer felt a warm feeling spreading in his chest as Linda offered him a warm and genuine smile. It was odd having humans take a liking in him that was not primarily sexual. It seemed strange that a person would go out of their way to help him. He was truly glad for Linda’s presence in his life.

 

“As my friend, would you agree to stay with me for moral support when I tell Grace?” The therapist seemed surprised by the question but quickly relaxed when she realised that the devil was honestly requesting her help.

 

“Of course”

 

Lucifer smiled at Linda’s answer and before he could thank her, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Hoping it was Amenadiel, he felt slightly disappointed when he noticed Chloe’s name popping up on the screen.

 

“Hello detective, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

 

As Chloe explained the situation to Lucifer, a feeling of dread filled his stomach almost to the point of making him sick. Without acknowledging either the therapist sitting at her desk, or the detective asking him over the phone if he was okay, Lucifer hung up and left the room. Just as he reached the Corvette, he dialled Maze’s number and did not have to wait long to hear her voice at the other end.

 

“Mazikeen, change of plans. I need you to find Mr Hoffmoron right now! I think he’s working for Uriel”

 

TBC


	15. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please take heed of the rating especially for this chapter! Little reminder: rating M for mature content!! 
> 
> Also a big thank you to the readers who have taken the time 
> 
> a) to read this piece so far  
> b) to show their appreciation by leaving kudos (you guys are the best)  
> c) to actually take the time to leave behind a lovely comment, that truly motivates me to carry on with this story. An author's greatest joy is the knowledge that he or she has their reader hooked. 
> 
> So thanks to all of you, guys. Without you reading my story, this would all be in vain. Enjoy this chapter!!

Lucifer was pacing back and forth in his penthouse, pondering whether he should go after Uriel himself or not. Of course, as Mazikeen had suggested earlier on the phone, this could all be a huge coincidence. A ‘destiny gone wrong’ kind of situation. Lucifer would be damned if he allowed himself to be that naïve. When Uriel was involved, there was no such thing as a coincidence. Uriel had a supernatural understanding of patterns and their consequences, which made him the master of causality. As Lucifer liked to put it, his brother could make a butterfly clap his wings and a housewife gets chlamydia. Uriel never left anything up to fate or destiny, hence there was never any room in his plans for coincidence. Therefore, Lucifer knew he had to act quickly, which would be rendered even more difficult by the fact that his brother would always be three steps ahead of everybody. They would all have to be unpredictable if they wished to have the slightest chance at catching Uriel off guard. Lucifer was pulled out of his musing by the beeping sound of the elevator announcing the arrival of a guest. Spinning around, the devil’s stance softened noticeably at the sight of Grace stepping inside the penthouse.

 

“Please tell me you had a better day than me…” was the first thing she said after throwing her jacket and purse onto the bar. Lucifer decided to ignore the question so as to not alarm Grace any more. She had had enough bad news for one day.

 

“Come here” was all he told her, opening his arms in a silent welcome. Thankfully she merely accepted the embrace and did not seem too worried about Lucifer’s day anymore.

 

“At the risk of sounding odd and most likely completely out of my mind… I need you to do something for me” Grace looked up at Lucifer with curiosity in her eyes, cocking an eyebrow questioningly.

 

“Sure, what is it?” Lucifer smiled at her fondly as he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and placed a loving kiss on her forehead.

 

“In the next couple of days, I need you to act completely unexpectedly. I want you to act out of the ordinary, do stuff you would never do on a regular day. In other words, go out of your way to make your next couple of days the most random and extraordinary ones of your life”

 

Despite Grace’s now confused expression, Lucifer noticed something else in her eyes which both broke his heart and made him feel weak in the knees: trust. She completely and utterly trusted Lucifer and what he asked of her. The thought terrified him more than anything else.

 

“You are the spontaneous type then, huh? Seize the day, live every day as if it were your last…”

 

“I suppose I have grown to be that kind of person, yes” Lucifer smiled tensely, taking the opportunity to change the subject, “Also, I have something special planned for us this Friday, if you are free that is?” Albeit seeming distracted, Grace nodded her approval as she let her fingers roam over Lucifer’s chest. He could feel the tingling feeling through his white cotton shirt and the sensation aroused him. Grace proceeded to caress her way up his chest, ending her trajectory by softly tickling the back of Lucifer’s neck, which produced an almost bestial growl from the devil. The look of lust she gave him spoke volumes.

 

“Grace… far away the thought of me complaining, but what has suddenly gotten into you?” Lucifer asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

 

“I’m simply taking your advice… I’m being unpredictable. I’m doing something I would not have otherwise done. I’m seizing the day…”

 

As she pressed her body against Lucifer’s, her lips kissing the sensitive spot where his shoulder and neck met, the devil lost all control. His brain still took a couple of seconds before properly registering what was going on, but once he felt Grace’s hand graze over the rapidly forming bulge in his pants, he locked their lips together in a passionate kiss. The small moan that escaped the young woman’s mouth triggered Lucifer’s almost animalistic urges to fuck her in that exact spot. However, he wanted this night to be perfect. Grace needed to feel how much Lucifer had missed her.

 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Lucifer panted between two kisses, trying to catch his breath. Lust and passion overwhelmed his senses, but he needed to be sure that Grace would not regret doing this in the morning. He wanted her to be ready.

 

“Yes! Lucifer please, don’t question my change of heart now…” Grace’s pleading tone was all the devil needed to hear and this time, more gently, he French kissed her pouring all his emotions into the kiss. His hands came to cup Grace’s face lovingly, tenderly tracing the line of her cheekbones with his thumbs. Their eyes were closed as both future lovers lost each other in the kiss. The moment was so intense and heavy with meaning that they both took a minute to appreciate the other’s proximity. For Lucifer, it meant remembering all the happy memories he had of him and Grace. For her, it meant feeling loved, protected and truly wanted for the first time in a while.

 

“Let’s take this to the bed, shall we?” Lucifer whispered, as if scared to spoil the moment. When Grace nodded her consent, the devil lifted her bride style and walked towards the bed facing the bay windows overlooking the City of Angels. Lowering Grace gently onto the black silk sheets, Lucifer quickly covered her body with his and kissed her passionately once again. Without breaking the kiss, he started unbuttoning her blouse and felt her hands do the same to his shirt. A glance at her uncovered body sent a shiver of pleasure down Lucifer’s spine. He let his fingers brush the tender skin of her still covered breasts and dextrally, he reached for her back to unhook her bra. He noticed the soft blush on her cheeks as her naked chest was revealed and the sudden change in temperature caused her nipples to erect.

 

“You look beautiful like this” Lucifer complimented her, hoping to chase the feelings of embarrassment and shyness away. Without dignifying him with an answer, Grace started unbuttoning Lucifer’s suit trousers and with his help, managed to pull them completely off. He did the same for her and soon, both were lying only clad in their underpants. Gently, Lucifer was the first one to pull Grace’s panties off. Kissing his way down her stomach, he reached her womanhood and darted the tip of his tongue out, softly brushing over Grace’s clit. She was not yet wet, but Lucifer was set on changing this as he applied himself to pleasuring her with his mouth. Judging by the sounds that came out of Grace’s mouth, he was doing a tremendous job. His tongue alternated between flicking over her clit and lapping at her whole labia. He was drinking his lover’s juices in no time, which filled him with a sense of pride. When he felt her close to orgasming, Lucifer stopped his ministrations, which earned him a frustrated groan from the young woman. Smiling softly, he took off the last piece of garment and pumped his now fully erected dick lazily.

 

“Don’t worry, darling. I am not done with you yet”, he promised, covering her body with his once again. Before he did anything else, Lucifer kissed Grace, letting her taste herself on his lips. The tip of his penis tickled her entrance and unable to hold himself back any longer, Lucifer slowly slid all the way inside his lover’s sex and stopped once he was all in to allow her to get used to his presence. For anyone who expected sex with the devil to be wild, rough and uninhibited, well… you are right, of course. It _could_ be like that. However, this night had to be perfect. Lucifer would not let it be anything less than the best experience for Grace. Contrary to popular belief, the devil could be sweet, considerate, loving… he could be as romantic as any other person. The devil was a seducer, after all; he was a charmer (although Lucifer found these terms to be unnecessarily pejoratively connoted).

 

“Are you ok?” he asked Grace. Her eyes opened and met his gaze and looking at those beautiful pools of blue, Lucifer could see a little bit of devil in his lover’s eyes. The unrestrained lust he could see there was all he needed; he began thrusting in and out of her body with all the care and love he could muster. Their moans soon filled the room once again. In that instant when they were one, nothing else mattered and it felt liberating. Unbeknownst to them they both wished for the same thing: that this moment of intimacy never ended. When Lucifer reached his climax inside of Grace, he made sure she reached orgasm as well before falling on top of her, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. It had been a long time since he had felt so emotional after sex.

 

“This was just awesome…” he heard Grace say and those words brought a smile to his lips.

 

“I’m glad we agree…” Grace chuckled softly as she let her fingers brush over Lucifer’s back. When she felt the two bumps where his scars were, Lucifer felt the urge to jerk away and snap at his lover to never touch those again. At the same time, he felt the need to cuddle closer to her and let her kiss the painful memories away. Instead, he remained motionless, hoping Grace would not ask too many questions. As if reading her mind, she let her hands drop to her sides as she exhaled heavily.

 

“You are squishing me…” she informed Lucifer, who merely laughed at the comment. Rolling off her, the devil pulled his lover close to his chest and covered their now cold bodies with the silk sheets. It did not take them long to fall asleep, feeling safe in each other’s arms.

 

Meanwhile in an abandoned warehouse in Los Angeles, Uriel had decided to take some fresh air and forget about his two prisoners and his mother for a couple of minutes. With a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips, the vengeful angel looked up at the starry night sky, chuckling to himself.

 

“Oh Lucifer… predictable, as always” he murmured to himself.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone taking off in the darkness of the night and knew instantly that it was his brother’s favourite pet Mazikeen the demoness. He did not worry about her in the least. He had expected her to find him and had planned accordingly. Bending over, he picked up a discarded piece of scrap metal from under his shoe and threw it several inches in front of him. The sound caused a nearby rat to scatter away in fear, which then had the effect of spooking a nearby pigeon away. That pigeon took off only to take refuge in a nearby tree, but the movement of his wings generated enough wind to blow a plastic bag up in the air, which quite unfortunately whirled straight onto a random driver’s windscreen. In panic, the driver swerved his car and inadvertently hit the fleeing Maze, who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Uriel knew that this would not stop the demoness, for the shock would merely have injured her slightly. However, it sure would slow her down.

 

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The next morning when Grace woke up, she felt undeniably happy. The sun blinded her and forced her to turn her back to the window while letting out an annoyed groan. She was met with the sight of Lucifer looking down at her and smiling lovingly when he noticed that she was awake. Her lover had propped himself up on one elbow and the sun kissed his skin, giving the impression that he was surrounded by a halo. He looked nothing less than regal, even angelic. Grace could not find another word to describe Lucifer in that moment.

 

“Morning sleeping beauty” his velvety voice greeted her gently before he leaned over for a kiss. Grace happily complied and felt the butterflies in the stomach go wild as she remembered the previous night. She was ashamed to admit that the sex had been better than it had ever been with Jake, despite remaining very vanilla. However, although Lucifer had been considerate and traditional the night before, Grace had a feeling that he could also be a very passionate and adventurous lover.

 

“What time is it?” Grace asked.

 

“It’s past noon. I clearly tired you out last night” Lucifer added with a cheeky wink. Grace could not remember the last time she had allowed herself to sleep in past ten o’clock. She felt energised and well-rested for the first time in months.

 

“Wow. Have you been awake for long?”

 

“I function on very little sleep” Lucifer explained, kicking the sheets away so he could get out of bed, “I enjoyed watching you sleep. You’re very cute when you snore”

 

The comment made Grace blush ever so slightly and threw one of her pillows at Lucifer, who merely laughed. As her lover stretched his long arms over his head, Grace’s eyes caught sight of two scars on Lucifer’s back. Her breath caught in her throat; she thought she had felt scars the night before but had not dared ask Lucifer about them and had not wished to ruin the moment. They looked bigger than she had expected them to be and the young woman wondered what could possibly have inflicted that kind of wound. The scars looked like very bad burns. Her curiosity getting the better of herself, Grace reached out to touch them but before she had a chance to Lucifer caught her wrist in his strong hand. Although he was not hurting her, the young woman realised that she had stepped too far.

 

“Don’t, please…” was all Lucifer said, sounding pleading which disconcerted Grace somewhat.

 

“What happened?”

 

Lucifer pursed his lips and sighed softly at the question. This reaction intrigued Grace more than the actual scars.

 

“Did someone do this to you?”

 

“In a way… this is where Maze cut my wings off… I mean, after I asked her to”

 

Those words made Grace scrunch her nose up in utter disbelief and confusion. She looked at Lucifer with a cocked eyebrow. The young woman was unsure what to make of his explanation and reaction, but she had heard the pain in his voice and knew that whatever had happened to him, it had been bad. Grace hoped that whoever had done this to Lucifer had been punished accordingly. She propped herself up against the pillows and let her gaze wander outside, taking in the beauty of Los Angeles.

 

“You don’t believe me, do you?” she heard Lucifer say.

 

“I believe there is a lot more to what you’re saying” Grace corrected after a couple of seconds of reflection. “Am I right?”

 

“Yes, you are. And I will tell you everything…”

 

Before Grace had the time to say anything else Lucifer’s phone rang. As he grabbed a hold of the buzzing device, Grace noticed that Doctor Martin’s name displayed on the screen.

 

“Doctor, what a pleasure to hear from you… Oh, I see, is something the matter? You sound upset… Mazikeen? What happened?... Well, is she ok?” Worry immediately washed over Grace, who hoped that her friend was alright. Of all people to end up in hospital, Maze would have been the last person to feature on Grace's list. She shot Lucifer a questioning look, but he did not take her on.

 

“Of course, I understand doctor… no, I think I’ve been avoiding this for too long now anyway, but thank you for your concern. I’ll undoubtedly speak to you later” With those final words, Lucifer hung up and sighed.

 

“Is Maze ok?” Grace asked immediately after she had Lucifer’s full attention once again.

 

“She got hit by a car, nothing she can’t recover from. She’s fighting to get out of hospital now, clearly she’s fine”

 

“Well that’s a relief” Lucifer nodded, seeming lost in thought. Grace felt that something was wrong, for the man was never usually that quiet unless something was bothering him. She did not pretend to know much about Lucifer, but this much about his personality was clear to her. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing’s wrong, I…” Sighing one last time as if to gather up the courage to get out what he wanted to tell Grace, Lucifer finally spoke, “I will tell you everything. Now, as it were. I meant to wait until Friday and have the doctor here for moral support, but it’s time that I take the devil by the horns…” The statement appeared to amuse Lucifer for he let out a small joyless snicker. Grace in the meantime was bracing herself for the worst.

 

“Lucifer, what is it? Does it have anything to do with your scars?” She could not help but wonder if Lucifer was himself some kind of criminal like Jake had been. Grace was not sure how she would react if she found out that the man she had decided to sleep with the previous night was not who she thought he was.

 

“In a way it does, yes. So, where to begin…”

 

“The beginning would be helpful…” Grace suggested with a nervous smile. She managed to pull a genuine chuckle out of her lover, but it did nothing to alleviate the tension between them.

 

“Right. I went to see Doctor Martin and told her about my plans to… to tell you the truth about me. You did know before, obviously, but this time I wanted you to know from the start. And I guess it’s because… the last time I told you it took some getting used to, of course, but after that… Heavens, Grace, you still loved me despite it. You loved me for who I truly was and… well, no one else ever has, really. My own parents shunned me to hell…”

 

Grace could hear the emotion in Lucifer’s voice and she noticed tears well up in his eyes. His voice sounded like it could break any minute and she felt this urge to pull him close to her chest and let him rest there for as long as he needed to. She wanted to comfort him so bad, but she also needed to know what all of this was about, so she remained still.

 

“Who are you, Lucifer? What is it that is so terrible about you?” Lucifer locked eyes with Grace and it was unsettling to see him without his familiar flirty smile. His lower lip quivered ever so slightly as he inhaled deeply no doubt to calm his nerves.

 

“Grace, I am the devil…” he managed to breathe out before his voice broke entirely. He obviously had to concentrate hard not to burst into tears. Grace felt her heart break at his words and not bothered about her nakedness, she scooched closer to Lucifer and placed a hand on his cheek.

 

“Lucifer, you are not the devil. You can’t possibly be. I’ve seen more good than bad in you, why would you say such a thing about yourself?”

 

“Because that’s who I am, Grace”, the desperation in his voice was unmistakable, “I am the actual devil. I was cast out by my Father because I rebelled, and he then placed into hell to punish the sinners. I can make people reveal their most intimate desires, I have used that power on you, too. When I escaped Hell to came to Earth five years ago, I lived a life of sex, alcohol and partying until I met you. You were different, you were… pure. I was instantly attracted to your beautiful soul, Grace… You brought out the better side of me”

 

“Lucifer, you are not making any sense” Grace tried to reason with her lover, taking both his hand in hers and staring into his brown eyes. She could not bear to see the unshed tears in them. “You have been nothing but generous and kind to me in the past couple of weeks. You’ve proven that you care about me a lot and would do anything to protect me. You are not the devil, far from it. You are my guardian angel…”

 

Her words had not the desired effect on Lucifer. He smiled mirthlessly and shook his head in frustration, swallowing the lump in his throat. The man got out of bed and threw a dressing gown on before heading towards his bar. Grace clicked her tongue disapprovingly but proceeded to get dressed as well before joining Lucifer behind his personal bar.

 

“I knew you would not take my word for it, I expected that. You never did the first time around, either, but that’s okay. I’ll just have to show you again” Grace wanted to ask what he meant but Lucifer placed his finger over her lips. He took several steps back until he stood a couple of feet away from Grace. “Close your eyes” he gently demanded. Grace looked at him suspiciously but eventually complied with his request. She waited for a couple of seconds until she was allowed to open them again. When she did, the sight she was met with both petrified her and made her want to run away in terror. Facing her was not Lucifer… or rather, it _was_ Lucifer alright. The handsome face with the elegant features, the dark stubbles and those warm brown eyes had been replaced by a vision from hell. It looked as though Lucifer’s skin had melted away, leaving him only with the angry red and bloody flesh underneath. His eyes had changed from a dark brown to a fiery ruby which brought Grace back to the evening when a flash of red had triggered her memory. It was real. It was all real. And she had seen it all before. 

 

“No… no…” Grace did not know what else to say, the fear in her stomach making it impossible for her to come up with a coherent sentence. She closed her eyes in an attempt to shake the vision away. When she looked at Lucifer, his face was back to normal again. He took several tentative steps towards her, but Grace backed away instantly.

 

“Don’t come any closer!” she cried out, feeling tears of fear well up in her eyes.

 

“Grace darling, please. It’s still me. All those things you said before, about me being kind and generous to you… it’s still me. It was always me” Lucifer extended his hand out towards Grace, but in her state of panic she stumbled backwards awkwardly, almost tripping over her own feet.

 

“Stay away from me!” 

 

Seeing Lucifer take a couple of steps back in surprise was all Grace needed to see. As quickly as she could, she ran towards the elevator and frantically pressed the down button.

 

“Grace, please don’t do this. There is more you should know, you can’t go out there!” Lucifer told her, but the young woman would have none of it.

 

“It looks like the only danger here is you. People always think of the devil as this tiny man with goat legs, horns and a red cape, but they’re wrong. The devil can be beautiful! He comes as everything you have ever wished for” Grace found herself shouting these last words and looking back on that moment, she would be able to pinpoint the exact moment her words managed to break Lucifer’s heart. But in that instant, all she cared about was to get away from this treacherous and dangerous demon. When the elevator doors opened, she nearly threw herself into the cabin and desperately pressed the button for the ground floor.

 

“Grace, no please!” Lucifer was pulled out of his state of shock a couple of seconds too late, for when he reached the elevator the doors had shut on Grace and no matter how hard he tried to force them open, there was no hope left to catch her. She was gone, for good. Her heart was racing in her chest on the ride down. Unable to hold back her tears and her sobs, she even allowed herself a scream. The vision of the devil’s face was all she could see when she closed her eyes. How could she have been such a fool? How could she have let herself be seduced by the devil himself? Was Jake’s betrayal, the involvement of the LAPD and everything else that had happened all part of the devil’s scheme to get her in his bed? Grace could not be sure of anything anymore.

 

She was glad when the elevator eventually reached the ground floor and she hurried outside, ignoring the people shooting her weird looks. Grace turned into the alley adjacent to the club entrance and let herself slide alongside the wall, sobbing uncontrollably. She knew she had to keep moving. Lucifer would not be far behind her, but she felt too weak to move, too upset to think straight. Later on, she would admit that she should have kept running, not that it would have changed much. As the young woman tried to get back onto her feet, she felt a strong hand grab her arm and another one cover her mouth to muffle her scream. Fully expecting to see Lucifer, Grace’s heart fell in her chest when she met the eyes of a stranger who was smiling at her triumphantly. His dark eyes and greying brown hair seemed oddly familiar to the panicked woman.

 

“I thought I would find you here”

 

Drained from her previous rush of adrenaline, Grace noticed the world around her go black as she faintly heard someone scream her name.  

 

TBC

 


	16. Chapter 15

Grace’s eyes fluttered open as she slowly came back to her senses. At first, everything around her seemed blurry and she had to blink several times to clear her vision and allow her to make out her location. The memory of her kidnapping came rushing back into her mind, feeling her with a sense of alarm and fear. When she tried to move, Grace realised that her hands had been tied behind her back, not allowing for much movement. Similarly, her ankles were bound together by the same scratchy type of rope that had been used for her wrists. She could now also taste the fabric of a cloth on her tongue, telling her that she had been gagged by her kidnapper. Her eyes were wide in panic and darted around the room, desperately trying to find a way out. Her gaze fell on another figure sprawled on the ground, similarly restrained. Another prisoner, no doubt. Grace wished she could see the other captive’s face, but he had her back turned to her. She wondered if he was still alive and the thought that he might not be terrified her. Several minutes later, two people entered what appeared to be the main hall of an old industrial warehouse. Grace quickly closed her eyes pretending she was still unconscious, but did not manage to hear what the two people (a man and a woman by the sounds of it) were discussing among themselves until they walked closer.

 

“She will remember everything in about five seconds” the man spoke, his words echoing against the walls of the warehouse. Grace did not understand why he would say something like that but before she could make a sense of his words, the young woman felt a large hand cover her forehead. The sensation that washed over her reminded her of the way people described a rollercoaster ride. Her stomach appeared to sink and for an instant, she felt weightless. Opening her eyes to see what was happening to her, she realised that she was not in the warehouse anymore. She was in Lucifer’s penthouse, standing next to the huge black piano. Grace noticed two individuals standing at the other end of the room next to the bed and upon closer inspection she recognised Lucifer and… herself. That’s when the young woman realised that she must reminiscing on her own memories. Or rather, the man from the warehouse was making her remember.

 

_“I will not sleep with you if you’re only wanting a one-night-stand, Lucifer. So, if it’s sex you’re after, tell me now and I will leave…” Grace heard her other self say._

_“Well, sex is definitely on my mind, however…” Lucifer left the rest of the sentence hang in the air as he shot the other Grace a suggestive look. The latter merely cocked an eyebrow._

_“However what?” she enquired. Lucifer walked towards her like a predator to his prey, but the other Grace would not budge. She stubbornly stood her ground, eyeing her opponent suspiciously. Once he was close enough, Lucifer brushed his knuckles along her pale cheek._

_“However, I would be damned if I let someone as feisty as you slip between my fingers. So, I will wait until you’re ready… I’ve never shied away from a challenge” Those last words were spoken in a cheeky tone, which only made the other Grace smirk._

_“Oh, believe me I will challenge you alright” she told Lucifer with a wink._

The silhouette of the two people began to fade progressively before Grace’s eyes, but before she could question the phenomenon she heard the beep of the elevator from behind her. Turning her back to the previous scene, Grace saw both Lucifer and herself walk into the penthouse. Both were dressed smartly, with him wearing his usual designer suit and her other self wearing a beige trench coat over her plain black dress.

 

_“That was lovely, as always” the other Grace commented while taking off her red pumps and placing her clutch onto Lucifer’s bar, “Thank you for dinner”_

_“You are more than welcome, beautiful” Lucifer took the other Grace’s hand in his and softly placed a kiss on its back, “I was hoping you could stay for one more drink?” The other Grace seemed to consider the offer for several seconds before agreeing. As they both took place on the luxurious sofa both carrying a glass of whiskey, the other Grace seemed rather jittery and nervous. Lucifer’s keen eyes picked up on her uneasiness._

_“What is the matter? You seem agitated” he remarked, turning his upper body so he was facing his date. The other Grace took a deep calming breath before locking eyes with Lucifer._

_“We have been on ten dates now… not that I’ve been counting” she added with a small smile, “and we haven’t got physical yet. So, I think now is the time for us to have the talk about where this is going. Lucifer, I want to be your permanent girlfriend. That means that I want us to be exclusive to one another, and I know that you had loads of one-night stands before me so if you are not down for it, then tell me now and we can end this here…”_

_The other Grace broke eye contact after her little rant, half expecting Lucifer to ask her to leave. Lucifer, however, merely took both her hands in his and forced her to look him in the eye as he spoke the next words not without some emotion in his voice._

_“I did not invest that much effort in impressing you for you to leave now. You seem to be the kind of human worth waiting for…”_

_The other Grace smiled at the choice of words and merely sought the warmth of her boyfriend’s embrace._

Grace felt her heart tighten in her chest as the memories of her and Lucifer flashed through her mind. She once again watched the two shapes disappear before her eyes and next thing she knew, Lucifer was sitting at the piano while her other self was lying on her back on their shared bed, reading a book. The sound that filled the room was familiar to Grace and she recognised the song that Lucifer had played on their first date a couple of weeks past. She watched as the devil softly began to sing the chorus in his deep melodic voice.

 

_Yeah, you and me, we can ride on a star_

_If you stay with me, girl_

_We can rule the world._

_Yeah, you and me, we can light up the sky,_

_If you stay by my side_

_We can rule the world_

Grace watched as Lucifer stood up and went to lie down next to the other Grace, kissing her temple softly and letting his hands roam over her body. Her other self giggled as she tried to push her boyfriend away, as he was making it hard for her to concentrate on her read. Soon enough, she gave up and let the book fall to the side of the bed as she allowed Lucifer to kiss her passionately. The devil pushed her onto her back and carried on kissing her, more tenderly and lovingly this time. Once they broke the kiss, Lucifer looked deeply into the other Grace’s blue eyes.

 

_“I never thought someone could make me this happy. I’m not used to people… liking me in any other way than sexual, as it were…” he admitted softly, almost in a whisper._

_“I would not want to be anywhere else right now” the other Grace admitted, “this is my personal heaven” Lucifer snorted lightly, shaking his head at the irony of the statement. The other Grace looked rather confused by his reaction._

_“I doubt you can find a piece of Heaven in me. I am damned…”_

_“You’re not to me…” the other Grace leaned on both her elbows so her face was closer to Lucifer’s, “you are not damned. You are kind, generous and funny. You are the best boyfriend I ever had. Nothing you do or say can change that” the young woman asserted. Lucifer smiled at her fondly._

_“You mean the world to me, Grace. I don’t know how I got so lucky. You have me wrapped around your little finger. I guess what I’m trying to say is that…”_

_“I love you, too Lucifer…” the other Grace interrupted him, undoubtedly knowing how hard it must be for the devil to open up and be honest about his feelings. His thankful smile said it all. He never said those words back. And he did not have to._

Grace could not help the tears from rolling down her cheeks as she witnessed the intimate moment between herself and Lucifer. Guilt filled her as she remembered the words she had told him before running away from him. The next scene seemed to be happening in Lucifer’s bathroom and as Grace went to get a closer look, she could only see her other self, alone, sitting on the edge of the bath holding what appeared to be a pregnancy test in her hand. Despite the happy smile on her face, Grace could also detect the worry on her own features. The sound of Lucifer’s voice startled both Grace and her other self.

 

_“Darling, I got you some Chinese from around the corner. I figured you’d be hungry after your run”_

_“I’m in the bathroom, Lucifer…” was all the other Grace said. Lucifer rushed to said location and when his eyes fell on the stick between her hands, his face fell._

_“Grace, darling… what is going on?” he asked with uncertainty in his voice. Her small smile seemed less convincing this time._

_“Lucifer, I’m pregnant” was all the other Grace replied, waiting for Lucifer’s response. His silence did nothing to calm down her nerves and she began to feel like her partner did not want children and was absolutely horrified with the idea of being a father. They had never discussed marriage or family before, and maybe Grace should have been more careful with her pill. She just hoped that Lucifer would be supportive._

_“It can’t be… I’m not fertile. I’m the devil, I can’t have children…” Grace let out an annoyed sigh at these words._

_“Lucifer, cut the crap. This is kind of a big deal and we need to make a decision. If you want me to get rid of it, say so. But just know it’s yours! No amount of excuses or made up persona will change the fact that I am pregnant with your baby, so stop trying to hide behind this personage for once in your life” The other Grace had shouted those words at Lucifer, who glared at her with a hurt expression._

_“Are you insinuating that I have been lying to you for the past couple of years? It is not my fault that you never believed me, but listen carefully Grace… I despise liars beyond anything else. I myself have never lied to anyone, especially not to you”_

_“You can’t be the devil, Lucifer. The devil doesn’t exist, just like God and the angels, heaven and hell, they’re all just concepts. Religious symbolisms, they are not real!”_

_Unable to control his anger, Lucifer’s eyes flashed red and his face crackled ever so slightly revealing the red flesh underneath the handsome human mask. The sight made the other Grace slip to the floor with her back against the bathtub. Her tears added to the look of terror in her eyes and Lucifer visibly flinched when he saw his girlfriend this upset. Slowly, he came down to his knees and attempted to reach out for the other Grace, who merely winced and hid her face in her knees._

_“My love, I am so sorry. I should not have let my anger get the better of me, but… I am not a liar. I… I hate the fact that you thought I would ever lie to you. It’s no excuse, granted, but… darling, please stop crying. I would never hurt you!”_

_When Grace did not react, Lucifer tried to scoot closer to her, tentatively wrapping his arm around her shoulder. When she flinched away from his again, the devil desperately tried to think of a way to calm her down. As an angel, he used to have the power to trigger happy emotions in people. As the bringer of light, he knew how to chase the dark thoughts away. Lucifer knew that without his wings, he was no more than a powerful demon. And even if he still had his wings, he had lived in hell for far too long. It felt like every ounce of good he had in him faded away. Nonetheless, he had to try. Concentrating very hard on making Grace feel better, he mustered the very last remains of his angelic powers and within a couple of minutes, he noticed Grace calm down. Whether it was because of his powers or no remained to be seen, but that was the least of Lucifer’s concerns._

_“My love? Please, say something…” Grace looked up, her eyes red and puffy from crying. She sniffled a couple of times before she gathered the courage to speak to her opponent._

_“I can’t believe I had sex with the devil…” Although the other Grace’s attempt at sounding comical, Lucifer could sense the hesitation in her voice._

_“Indeed you have… the honour is all yours” His words managed to pull a small chuckle out of Grace, which came as a relief for Lucifer. Gently, he placed his hand over her still flat belly, unable to fight the grin that formed on his face._

_“I am going to be a father…”_

Grace stood dumbfounded, watching herself and Lucifer talk about their future family. Her own hand came to cover her belly, half-expecting the vision to be true. Fresh tears escaped her eyes as she realised what this all meant. Lucifer had not only lost his lover a year or so ago, he had also lost a child. Grace could feel her heart shatter in a thousand little pieces at the thought. How could she have been so horrible to him? She could not bear the thought that her last conversation with him had ended in a fight. Suddenly, the scene changed entirely and she found herself in LUX. It was empty apart from her, her other self and a man Grace recognised as Amenadiel, Lucifer’s brother, who seemed to be arguing with her other self.

 

_“How dare you ask me to kill my unborn child?”_

_“Humanity is at risk here, Grace. A Nephilim is bad enough as it is, their power cannot always be contained and they represent a great risk for humans. That’s the case when regular angels and regular humans have a child. You are carrying the devil’s baby…” Amenadiel tried to reason, but the other Grace was having none of it._

_“God had a child with a human, we call him Jesus and still worship him in the 21 st century” she argued back, earning herself a humourless laugh from Amenadiel. _

_“You can’t possibly be comparing the two cases, Grace”_

_“Why not? Was Lucifer not God’s favourite? Was he not the most beautiful angel in heaven? Samael, the Bringer of Light?” Grace covered her now showing baby bump with her hand in a protective gesture as she took a couple of steps towards the angel, “the devil was once an angel! He is capable of both good and evil. It’s possible that there’s a little monster in all of us”_

_“That child will be born evil”_

_“NO CHILD IS BORN EVIL” Grace could not hold back her rage as she pointed an accusatory finger at the angel, “Evil is not a natural state! Good and evil are determined by individual choices. You always have a choice!”_

_“Listen Grace, I came here to warn you of the consequences of you keeping this child. Angels will try to kill it, powerful angels who still hold a grudge against Lucifer. Your baby will grow up being hunted, is that the life you want for it?” Amenadiel’s words struck a nerve. Grace grabbed the glass of water she had been drinking and threw it at the nearby wall, causing it to shatter._

_“I will protect my child with my life if I have to, Amenadiel. And so will Lucifer. We are not afraid of the wrath of Heaven. We will fight, and we will win!”_

The fury Grace saw in her other self was one like she had never witnessed before. She did not even know that she was capable of such displays of rage. Then again, it was her baby that was at stake, and a threat to a child’s life had the potential to send any mother in a vengeful frenzy. As Grace tried to wrap her head around everything she had seen so far, the vision changed drastically once again. She was in a car park, the same one she had seen in her vision of her getting stabbed. She recognised the face of her kidnapper… Uriel. The name triggered a blind rage in Grace, one she could not explain.

 

_“Please, don’t hurt me” the other Grace pleaded, looking up at Uriel with teary eyes._

_“Believe me, it’s not you I want to destroy, sweet Grace Beauregard. It is your child, the devil’s spawn, that needs dying. We can’t let this abomination roam my Father’s planet…”_

_“The child is innocent. Please, I will raise it to be good and kind. I’m begging of you, don’t hurt my …” Grace’s last words were cut off by a sharp pain in her abdominal. As she glanced down she noticed the dagger sticking out of her belly. The woman holding the dagger looked no older than sixteen and the thought that this angel had used a child to carry out his evil deed broke the young woman’s heart._

_“NO! GRACE” The young woman faintly heard her name being shouted over and over again. Looking up, she noticed a flash of red and instantly knew that Lucifer had come to save her. He was too late, though. Grace felt the life leave her body. As Maze fought Uriel on her own and managed to tackle him to the ground, Grace felt Lucifer cradle her close to his chest._

_“No… my love, my sweet Grace…”_

_“I’m sorry… I couldn’t save our child”_

_“Don’t be silly” Lucifer chastised softly, brushing her hair out of her sweaty face, “I should have protected you two. I should have gotten here sooner…”_

_“Let’s agree that it’s neither one’s fault…” Grace let out a hiss of pain._

_“Easy, my love. Easy… You will be alright, I promise… I called an ambulance” Lucifer held her close, sobbing as he noticed the blood flowing from her wound. He wished in that instant he had never cut off his wings. He would have been able to save her._

_“Lucifer? Can you do that thing where you calm me down with your mojo?”_

_“Sorry?”_

_“You know… you did it that day when… when I saw your true form…”_

_It had worked. His angelic powers had not entirely disappeared. Feeling heartened by the thought, Lucifer concentrated on making Grace feel better in her dying breath._

_“I love you, Lucifer…” Grace whispered, “I love you so much. You are my guardian angel” Lucifer looked down at his dying partner and could not stop the stream of tears. He leaned over to place a loving kiss on her forehead._

_“I love you, too, Grace. Please, don’t leave me, not now…” These were the last words Grace heard before falling into a deep sleep._

The return back to reality felt like waking up from a very long dream. Grace felt groggy and exhausted, but the rage she had felt at the sight of Uriel was still present. It was growing, in fact. She could feel her heart racing in her chest as she tried to control her breathing. Looking up at the two figures standing above her, she recognised Uriel. The woman, however, she had never met in her life. She remembered everything, now. Every last detail. And she was pissed. Royally pissed. Grace shot daggers at the angel who had been responsible for her and Lucifer’s suffering for the past year and a half.

 

“You killed my baby. You hurt my Lucifer. You ruined our lives. You are going to pay for this!” she spat.

 

TBC


	17. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a filler chapter, but I hope you guys still enjoy it. Thank you so much for the support and hopefully this chapter will once again leave you craving for more. 
> 
> xxx

_“You killed my baby. You hurt my Lucifer. You ruined our lives. You are going to pay for this!”_

Grace’s words only earned herself an amused chuckle from Uriel. Clapping his hands together, he addressed the woman next to him.

 

“Do you hear that, mother? She thinks she can stop us…” The young woman furrowed her eyebrows at the angel’s words and shot the woman an incredulous look.

 

“Mother? Who does that make you, Goddess?” Her almost proud smile sent a shiver down Grace’s spine.

 

“Yes! Clever girl you are” The human could not make out whether these words had been intended sarcastically or not, however she had bigger fish to fry. She was facing a vengeful angel and a crazed Goddess, whose power could certainly crush Grace like the miserable cockroach that she was (at least, compared to the celestial beings before her).

 

“Let me tell you something, Grace… if my dear brother was not able to stop us, then you won’t succeed either” Uriel picked up where he had left off in his previous sentence, shrugging matter-of-factly as he spoke.

 

“What makes you say that Lucifer won’t find you and destroy you for trying to hurt me?” Grace boldly challenged her captor. His calm composure and ever so patronising smile merely confused the young captive even more. Crouching before her so he could somewhat be at her eye-level, Uriel explained himself as he gently patted Grace’s cheek the way people patted a dog’s head reassuringly.

 

“I apologise, my dear, I believe you misunderstood my meaning” Pointing towards the unconscious figure, Uriel carried on “I was talking about _that_ brother. Amenadiel tried to reason with us and paid the price for it. I fully expect Lucifer to come and rescue you. That is all part of the plan” Grace felt her whole body fill with dread at the thought that Lucifer would be falling into one of his brother’s traps and there was no way for her to warn him.

 

“What plan exactly, if you don’t mind me asking?” she asked with venom in her tone.

 

“Oh, I don’t mind at all. It is only fair that you know what I have planned for you. You see, I initially came to Earth to send my dearest mother back to hell. Imagine my surprise when I arrived here and noticed that one, Lucifer was still refusing to go back to the place where he belonged and two, that you and him were finding your way back to each other despite me trying to avoid that a year ago…”

 

“So, you are using me as a bribing tool?” Grace questioned, shooting the angels a disdainful look, “even that seems to be below yourself, Uriel”

 

“I will use Lucifer’s own powers against him. I will make a Faustian deal with the devil himself, and I have to admit that I love the irony of that” A genuine smile appeared on the angel’s lips, which made Grace feel sick to her stomach, “The plan is to have my mother and Lucifer return to hell in exchange for your safety”

 

“That’s it?” The young woman had a hard time believing that the bargain would be that easy.

 

“No…” Uriel honestly replied, “You see, you will still die. I was lenient the last time because I believed that you deserved a chance to prove to my father that you could repent. I spared your life, if not your child’s, because like Amenadiel so beautifully put it a couple of days ago: you were innocent then. You did not deserve to die, after all you had been tricked by the devil himself…”

 

“I was NOT tricked by anyone…”

 

“Tut, tut, tut…” Uriel placed his index finger over Grace’s lips, ignoring her angry huffs and glaring eyes, “However the second time around, you should have known better, dearest Grace. You should have known better than to leave the white picket fence life that I had so generously created for you…”

 

“Yeah, at the arms of a murderer you mean…”

 

“Even murderers deserve a second chance… there is some good in Jacob Hoffmann’s heart, and I wanted to give him the opportunity to prove this to me. In exchange, he would not return to hell. Well, since plan A never worked, plan B is to kill you so I don’t send him back where he belongs” Grace let out a baffled cackle at Uriel’s words. Before she had a time to counter the angel’s claim, she perceived out of the corner of her eyes Goddess dragging a chair into Grace’s field of vision. Only when the angel’s mother reached the light did the prisoner notice that Jake was tied to said chair.

 

“Oh my God…”

 

“I’m afraid my husband has nothing to do with this…” Goddess said with a small smile on the corner of her lips. Grace looked into the terrified eyes of Jake and then back at gloating Uriel.

 

“You are a monster! You used an innocent teenager to kill my baby the first time, now you are using a terrified man desperate not to go back to hell. You are planning on double-crossing your own brother, knowing full well that he despises liars. Do you have no morals at all?”

 

“What I’m doing is for the sake of humanity. I can’t have you, a human capable of bearing Lucifer’s Nephilim spawn inside of you, roam the face of this planet. It is not conceivable to have such power walk the Earth at its leisure. Sometimes, the right thing to do is the immoral thing to do. I don’t have another choice”

 

“No, you are wrong” Grace argued, her tears welling up with angry tears. She felt her whole being shake with the rage she felt towards the angel who had caused everyone she loved so much suffering and who was involving innocent people in businesses that were not theirs to worry about. “You are wrong! You do have a choice. We always have a choice. And you will regret the one you just made when Lucifer gets here and kicks your ass so hard he will send you back to Heaven”

 

“We will see about that… As for double-crossing him, or even lie to him as you put it, that is untrue. The deal will specifically state that in return for him and mother going back to hell, you, the human he fell in love with, will be safe. I can’t think of a safer place than Heaven itself…” was all Uriel said before turning towards trembling Jake. “Don’t worry my friend, your predicament will soon end. When Lucifer gets here, you will be set to do what I request of you”

 

“What makes you so sure that I will end up in Heaven? Aren’t you worried that I will go to hell, too?”

 

“As much as I think that that’s where you belong, you are far too pure, far too good to go to Hell. You have the kind of soul that my father and siblings adore and no doubt they will save you from eternal damnation, even though you have the capability of bearing great evil” Grace could feel her blood start to boil in her veins.

 

“Like I told you the last time we had that kind of conversation: evil is not born, evil is made”

 

“We will have to agree to disagree, I’m afraid” Uriel nonchalantly turned his back on Grace, who was still lying on the floor, her position not allowing for much movement. Her eyes darted about the room, trying to find a way she could escape, but she had to face the realisation that while she was still bound she would remain at the mercy of her captors. Grace’s eyes met Goddess’ and for a moment, she thought she saw the mother of angels offer her a reassuring smile, which was disconcerting to say the least. An almost inaudible grunt startled both Jake and Grace and it was with a certain amount of relief that the young woman realised that Amenadiel was coming back to his senses.

 

“Ah, dear brother, good you’re awake” With inhuman strength, Uriel lifted Amenadiel by the collar and swivelled him around so he was able to make out Grace. It took the angel several seconds before he realised what was happening before him and once he recognised his brother’s love interest, his head slacked in resignation.

 

“I’m sorry Grace” she heard Amenadiel speak, his voice croaky from not being used, “I was trying to help you, I’m sorry…”

 

“Touching, very touching” Uriel commented sarcastically, “but I would save your breath for something more useful, like when you’ll have to convince father to let you back into Heaven after betraying every single one of us…”

 

“Don’t listen to him, Amenadiel. If anything, Uriel is the one who needs to worry about not being allowed to return home. He is a killer, a manipulator and a liar…” Grace’s voice rose with every word she spoke. Uriel’s amused snicker only added to her rage.

 

“Oh, dearest Grace, you are so naively bold… no wonder Lucifer took a liking in you. You have a fire burning inside of you, I admire that. Sadly, it will get you nowhere”

 

“Jake?” Grace addressed the man who had played the part of her husband for several months and who had been by her side for the past year and a half. She caught his attention immediately. The look he gave her broke her heart and she pitied him in his current circumstances.

 

“Jake, listen to me. No matter what Uriel has promised you, I’m sorry but it won’t be possible. Angels don’t have a say in who goes to hell and who goes to Heaven. And it’s also not Lucifer who decides which souls come into hell. All of that is determined by your guilt…”

 

“What would a human know about the functioning of Heaven and Hell?” Uriel cried out, panic ever so slightly noticeable in his voice. Grace ignored his outburst and carried on talking to the terrified man, who was looking at her with his eyes wide open as if he did not understand how she had the guts to ignore the angel’s angry tone. Grace chuckled dryly to herself when she realised that she must be so different from the woman Jake remembered.  

 

“You still feel guilty for killing your wife, don’t you? You have not forgiven yourself for her death… that’s called guilt! Listen Jake, I know this will sound crazy to you but the only way you can guarantee that you won’t return to hell is by forgiving yourself, by admitting what you have done and owning up to it. Only then will your soul truly be free…”

 

“She is LYING!” Uriel shouted, grabbing Jacob’s shoulder forcefully as he stared into the eyes of the now whimpering human being. Grace’s stomach churned at the sight of Uriel having Jacob at his mercy through fear and terror. “You had your chance to make things right, and you messed up. Your only hope is me, and if I’m going to help you, I demand something in return”

 

“Jacob, can’t you see what he is trying to do?” Grace desperately tried to talk some sense into the shaking man. She would be damned if she let someone else suffer because of her at the hands of Uriel. Things had gotten out of hand a long time ago and they needed to put an end to it. “Intimidation is the coward’s tool. You need to be strong enough to stand up to him, Jake. He can’t hurt you! It is forbidden for angels to hurt humans…”

 

As Grace spoke these words, she felt a strong kick to both her jaw and shortly after, to her guts. The instant pain she felt made her cry out in agony, and it also made it impossible for her to speak. Looking up at her aggressor with tears at the corner of her eyes, Grace noticed the way Uriel condescendingly shook his head while offering her a sad smile.

 

“Grace, Grace, Grace… check your facts for next time, would you?” Crouching before her, Uriel brushed a strand of Grace’s hair out of her face and wiped the blood trickling out of her mouth with his thumb, “angels can’t _kill_ humans… on the other hand, hurting you is not a problem”

 

“You will regret this, Uriel. You have gone mad” Amenadiel spoke, sounding rather weak. However, his dangerously low voice seemed to trigger an automatic wince from Uriel.

 

“Boys, that is quite enough” Goddess spoke in a matriarchal tone, not wanting the situation to escalate any further. Placing her hand on Uriel’s shoulder, she carried on in a reasoning voice, “we need Grace to remain relatively unscarred when Lucifer comes or he will not believe you when you say that you will keep her safe. You need to keep a clear head, Uriel, and not let your emotions get the better of you. Understood?”

 

Grace noticed the hesitation in the other angel upon hearing his mother’s words, but eventually Uriel relaxed and let out a long sigh.

 

“Explain something to me, mum” Amenadiel’s voice boomed through the hall of the abandoned warehouse, echoing against the bare walls, “I have a hard time believing that you agreed to go back to hell just to be with only one of your sons… what is in it for you?”

 

The question intrigued Grace as well, although she was unsure whether she really wanted to know the answer to Amenadiel’s question. She hoped Lucifer would get here soon, however a little voice inside her head could not help but wonder if he was going to show up at all? After all she had said to him, after all the nasty things she had thrown at his head… would he still want to see her?

 

“Well, the answer is very simple, darling” Goddess began, her voice calm and composed, “as soon as Lucifer and I go back to hell I will take his place on the throne… I will become the Queen of Hell” A twisted smile appeared on Goddess’ face at the mention of her future title and Grace nearly choked on her own blood as she breathed in sharply. Looking over at Amenadiel, the young woman realised that the angel felt the same way about his mother’s plan.

 

“What about Lucifer?” Grace could hear the worry in Amenadiel’s voice, which only added to her own.

 

“Lucifer? Oh well, he will get what he deserves… He will get a taste of his own medicine. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth…” Goddess left the remaining of the sentence hanging in the air, and Grace had to admit that she did not understand what was going on. The look of horror on Amenadiel’s face, however, spoke volumes. Whatever Goddess was planning to do to her son, it was bad. Very bad. Bad enough to scare the fury of God himself. In that instant, Grace knew that she had to do something to stop Goddess and Uriel’s plans, despite realising soon enough that there was nothing she could do to physically fight two powerful celestial beings. Desperate for a sign, any kind of sign, Grace did something she could not remember having done since she was a child: she prayed.

 

_Lord, I beg of you, have mercy on our souls._

TBC


	18. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry guys but this is another filler chapter. I promise I know where I'm going with this, although it took a while to decide if I actually wanted to go through with that particular idea. Hopefully won't be too long before the next chapter is uploaded. 
> 
> Also, I need to disclose a disclaimer here, people who watch the show Supernatural will recognise a phrase used by Crowley King of Hell. 
> 
> Thanks for your loyalty and patience, and as always, enjoy the chapter.
> 
> xxx

Hunched over of his piano, holding a glass of whiskey in his right hand, Lucifer stared blankly at the black and white keys. On any other day, the devil was known to come up with elegantly composed and improvised pieces, every note placed with thought and imagination. Now, after seeing Uriel disappear with the woman he loved for the second time, his heart felt heavy and his inspiration was non-existing. Drinking was the only way he could numb the pain he was feeling.

 

“ _When a man loves a woman… can’t keep his mind on nothing else… He’d trade the world for a good thing he’s found…”_

Lucifer did not usually sing sad songs. He also rarely sang acapella. He much preferred the upbeat rhythms of rock bands, and the joyful tunes that made people want to dance, party, have a good time… sad compositions were not his cup of tea. He had seen enough misery and suffering in hell as it was, why would he bother going back to that place when he could enjoy the now? However, at that moment his heart was aching to see Grace alive and safe again. In his miserable and slightly inebriated state, the devil was in no mood to be his usual cheerful self.

 

“ _When a man loves a woman, he’d give up all his comfort and sleep out in the rain if she said that’s the way…”_

“Oh, bloody knock it off, Lucifer!”

 

Maze cried out, shooting up from the sofa she had been sitting in for the past couple of hours, together with Linda. Her right arm had been bandaged in hospital, despite the demon’s repetitive claims that she was fine. As soon as she had managed to get out of hospital, she and Linda had rushed to Lucifer’s and had watched him mope for hours. The demon had enough.

 

“I am past watching you feeling sorry for yourself” Lucifer’s eyes darted to Maze and he glared at her.

 

“Watch your tone, Mazikeen…”, he warned, using the demon’s full name for emphasis. He noticed Linda trying to pull Maze back onto the couch, but the other woman would have none of it.

 

“I won’t watch my tone, and you know why? Because while you are here, brooding and being a pathetic mess, Grace and Amenadiel are in great danger. And you don’t even seem to care! All that matters is _your_ pain and _your_ suffering.You are being your usual selfish self!”

 

 

Maze spat the last words in a derogatory tone, all the while returning the devil’s deadly stare. Unexpectedly, Lucifer rose from his stool and hit the massive piano with his fist with enough strength to break the large instrument in two. Neither the demon nor Linda had expected such an outburst of rage. Lucifer had displayed an inhuman strength such as doctor Martin had never experienced before. Sure, she had heard of cases where people, under extreme boosts of adrenaline, managed to lift cars. However, never had she heard of a human capable of halving a piano merely by hitting it with their first. She could not hold back a small cry of surprise, which had the effect of Maze crouching defensively before her, drawing her knives. This action had the same effect as waving a red cape at an enraged bull and merely seemed to make Lucifer angrier.

 

“Put. These. Away, Mazikeen. I don’t want to hurt you, but believe me I will”, he ordered, but that did not seem to be enough for the demon to back down. Linda desperately tried to speak some sense into her lover.

 

“Maze, this will not solve anything. We need to think of a plan, not turn against each other…”

 

“He won’t hurt me, Linda, don’t worry. You want to know how I’m so sure? Because he’s grown soft” Maze sneered, nonetheless lowering her knives, “he won’t even rush to help the woman he supposedly loves. He’d rather sing his sorrows away…” At those words, Lucifer’s eyes flashed red and Linda realised that she had to intervene before Maze managed to wind the devil up to the point of no return. In a moment of incredible boldness, the therapist came between the demon and the raging devil.

 

“Maze, stop! You need to back off, and you, Lucifer” she spun around to face the fuming man behind her, “I am convinced that you have a reason for not acting and I understand that you are scared for your brother and Grace’s lives. But you need to realise that we are worried for them, too. You need to communicate with us, tell us what you’re thinking. We’re here to help you, as your friends…”

 

Linda’s words seemed to soothe Lucifer’s temper and soon, his eyes were back to the friendly brown Linda was used to seeing. Once the devil fully snapped out of his blind rage, he looked more like a lost puppy than a terrifying biblical creature. The doctor went to embrace him, feeling empathy with the devil and wishing she could reassure him and tell him that everything was going to be ok. However, she knew she could not promise Lucifer that, so she merely hugged him in silence. Linda smiled when the devil returned the embrace, burying his face in her blonde hair so nobody would notice the unshed tears in his eyes.

 

“It’s a trap” Lucifer whispered.

 

“What? What makes you say that?” Linda asked, not letting go of him more for the fact that the devil would not let her go just yet. He obviously needed the comfort and Linda was more than happy to oblige. She had grown fond of Lucifer.

 

“Uriel wants me to find them. I don’t know why exactly, but I can only imagine the worst. If he truly wanted to get rid of Grace no matter what, she would be dead by now of that I have no doubt.”

 

Lucifer’s eyes met Maze’s as she began to understand the situation. The look she gave him told the devil that she had never considered the possibility of Uriel taking Grace hostage. She had assumed that all he wanted was to kill her.

 

“Lucifer, I’m sorry… I never even thought about that” the demon admitted, genuinely.

 

“No, obviously not. You didn’t think at all” Lucifer said, his words cutting Maze like a sharp knife, “We need a plan of action before we go find them” Lucifer finally let go of the doctor, having regained his composure, “we need to act unexpectedly, or else Uriel will know what we’re up to before we have a chance to get there”

 

“We need a way to kill the bastard…” Maze twirled her knives in her hand dextrally, but immediately stopped when she noticed Lucifer’s stance stiffen.

 

“Mazikeen, do you really think I want to kill my own brother?”

 

The rhetorical question ensured for an awkward silence where the two women secretly wondered what else Lucifer would do if it came to a confrontation.

 

“To be perfectly honest, yes I thought that was your plan all along…”

 

“I WON’T kill Uriel. Not if I can help it” Lucifer repeated sternly. Linda nodded understandingly, while Maze merely shook her head in disbelief, a feeling which was mirrored in her tone.

 

“After all he’s done… after having your own unborn child killed, you will still show mercy?” the demon asked, incredulity lacing her voice.

 

“What other choice do you think I have, Maze? Killing my brother will achieve nothing but make me a murderer…” Lucifer counter-argued, pouring himself another glass of whiskey.

 

“It’s not like he doesn’t deserve to die…”

 

“Two wrongs don’t make a right, that’s only the case in mathematics” Lucifer remarked casually, before downing his glass and proceeding to refill it straight away.

 

“Your father damned you already, there’s not much more he could do…”

 

“Maze, that’s enough” Linda snapped, catching the attention of both her demon lover and the devil, “you can’t expect anyone to kill a family member, no matter how evil they are. Uriel will have to be brought to justice, the question is how… I agree that it’s more complex when angels and demons are involved…”

 

“You bet it is… only good old dad could speak some sense into my brother, but I doubt that he takes any interest in any of his children…” Lucifer let out a mirthless cackle as he spoke those words, “no, we need a more reliable plan. Something Uriel would not expect us to do…”

 

The three of them took several minutes to think of a possible solution to their predicament. Their brows were all furrowed in concentration and the tension was palpable in the air. It was Linda that came up with the first idea, which she timidly suggested to the two others.

 

“Would Uriel expect Lucifer to tell Chloe about Grace’s kidnapping?”

 

“Of course he would…” Maze retorted straight away. Lucifer kept silent for a while, pondering the possibility.

 

“I have to agree with Maze, the detective would be an obvious choice. However you doctor on the other hand…” Linda understood immediately what Lucifer was implying, but before she could say anything, Maze interjected.

 

“No way, no-uh, not happening” Her tone left no room for argument, but the more Linda thought about the plan, the more it seemed to make sense.

 

“Maze, maybe Lucifer has a point… Uriel would never expect me to be that involved in Lucifer’s affairs…”

 

“We can always keep this in mind while we work on a plan B” Lucifer suggested softly, treading on egg shells when it came to his emotional and besotted demon. His proposal did not seem to rejoice Maze judging by the daggers she shot him.

 

“How about we work on a plan D for dumbass?” the demon spat, earning herself a glare from Lucifer and an annoyed eye-roll from Linda.

 

“Does ANYBODY here care about what my thoughts are on this?” the doctor asked, her voice snippy. The two others had the decency to look contrite, “I, for one, think that Lucifer is right and I am ready to serve as a bait. We just need a plan…”

 

“Linda, I won’t let you…”

 

“Well here’s breaking news for you, Maze, you are not the boss of me. I make my own decisions, and I decided that I would do this. So, zip it!” To Lucifer’s entertainment, the demon did not dare talk back to her lover and this generated a loud fit of giggling from the devil.

 

“Oh, shut up, you horned buffoon” Maze snarled at the former king of hell.

 

“Hang on, I’ve got an awesome thing for that kind of situation on my telephone” Taking his phone out of his pocket, Lucifer scrolled frantically for a couple of seconds before playing the sound of a cracking whip and snorting when the demon pursed her lips in annoyance.

 

“If anyone is whipped here it’s…”

 

“GUYS, enough! God, it’s like minding my sister’s children” Linda said in a sigh, rubbing her temple soothingly, “right, so I’ll be the bait. We’ll have to involve the authorities somehow…”

 

“Not necessarily” Lucifer argued, “besides, it would pointless. Not even the US military could neutralize an angel…”

 

“Okay, well how can you defeat an angel then?”

 

“By outnumbering them…” Maze said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at how slowly the discussion was progressing.

 

“Amenadiel is far less powerful than what he used to be, as for me… well, I am still powerful” Lucifer conceded, “but I doubt that will be enough to dissuade Uriel. If anything, me fighting back will only make him angrier. Kind of like what wasps do, if you try to swat them they suddenly suffer from an inferiority complex and vow to kill you or die trying…”

 

“Random comment, and I’m sure there’s a story behind that which I’d love to hear one day, but I see your point. This still does not bring us any closer to a solution” Linda concluded. The three of them sighed in unison, and were it not for the gravity of the situation, the scene could have almost seemed comical.

 

Meanwhile at the abandoned warehouse, Grace was wondering what was taking Lucifer so long. She started to think that he would never come to get her. Why would he after the horrible things she had told him before running _away_ from him. Why would anyone bother to save her? Then again, Grace did not want Lucifer to walk into Uriel’s trap. The thought of what could happen to the man she loved was unbearable, even more so that they had parted on bad terms. Lucifer probably thought that she hated him, even worse, that she feared him. Lucifer did not know that she remembered everything. Tears stung Grace’s eyes at that thought.

 

“Do you think there’s hope for us?” Grace asked, taking advantage of the rare moments of privacy she, Jake and Amenadiel got when Uriel and Goddess left the warehouse to get some fresh air. The boredom was starting to get to them too, not to mention Goddess’ impatience which drove Uriel crazy. In the name of keeping the appearance of a united front, they usually took their bickering outside, which provided the prisoners with some respite.

 

“Have some faith, Grace. Things will look up for us…” Amenadiel offered the young woman a reassuring smile which did nothing to wash away Grace’s worries.

 

“Faith… faith in what? Faith in whom?” she asked, her voice close to breaking.

 

“There is a purpose, there always is… God moves in mysterious ways” Amenadiel tried to reason, but his efforts were only met with a resigned sigh from Grace.

 

“Yeah, right…” The young woman closed her eyes as if doing so would be enough to fool her brain that she was not being held hostage in that warehouse, waiting for a miracle to happen. If God was truly behind this, it would imply that he cared. If he cared enough to be involved in Grace’s life, he would have acknowledged her prayer and given her a sign. Instead, he had remained silent. Not even a boo.

 

Zero, zip, zilch, nada. Or at least, that’s what she thought.


	19. Chapter 18

Being God had to be the loneliest and most rotten job on the planet. The easy part was being omniscient and all-knowing, allowing humanity's destiny to unfold before his eyes and not even having to lift his pinkie in the process. In fact, being God was the easiest job in the world: all he had to do was... well, pretty much nothing as it were. He had done his part when he created the world and all that lived in it. After that he had taken an early retirement, so to say, or rather a sabbatical to deal with rowdy children and a murderous (ex)-wife. 

 

What made this job so rotten was that his clients, humanity in its broadest sense, was hugely thankless of his work. God had created life, had given his precious humans a world to live, a foundation to develop technology, science and infrastructure, and last but not last, God had intended a harmony between every living thing, whether they human, animal or vegetable. And what had he received as a thank you for his hard work? Wars, lots of them, whether they be politically, religiously or economically motivated; pollution; massacres; genocides; racism; overpopulation and overuse/destruction of natural resources; generally any behavior involving the hate of another human being because of a minute difference; the destruction of ecosystems... the list goes on and on for what seems like forever. In the face of this, can you really blame him for turning his back on humanity?

 

But he had not done that, really. It was a common misconception that God had grown to hate his own creation. The fact that people and angels alike thought this was the case was laughable, however in the grand scheme of things, it did not matter much. There was very little that could alter the way God had designed things, but when that occurred, he did his best to make sure he got his own way. You can call it being spoiled or stubborn, but God preferred the term determined. This whole universe had been  _his_ creation, and yes, he would throw a tantrum if things did not go his way. Therefore, when his own son Uriel thought he could take it upon himself to try and kill Grace Beauregard (or Hoffmann, whichever was appropriate), God had felt all sorts of emotions, but mostly anger and disbelief. One of his own children had had the audacity to challenge his omniscience, and in God's view, there was nothing more disrespectful. 

 

To settle the matter once and for all, God had decided to pay humanity a little visit, which is why he was currently on his way up to Lucifer's penthouse. 

 

00000000000000000000

 

“We just wasted over an hour discussing plans while Amenadiel and Grace are still out there. If we don’t agree on something soon, I am going back to that warehouse and I’m…”

 

“You won’t do anything without my consent, Mazikeen” Lucifer interrupted the demon, using his sternest and most authoritative tone which seemed to have the desired effect on Maze, who flinched ever so slightly and remained quiet. “We need to keep a united front when we face my brother”

 

“Lucifer is right, Maze”, Linda reasoned with her lover, squeezing her arm reassuringly, “we can’t act on impulse, we need help” Those words did nothing to calm the raging demon, who merely shrugged Linda’s hand off her and rolled her eyes dramatically.

 

“Help? Against a crazy, megalomaniac goddess and a murderous angel who’s after an innocent human… at this point, it’s not help we need, it’s a fucking miracle that we need”

 

As Maze spoke those words, the characteristic ‘ding’ of the elevator resonated through Lucifer’s penthouse startling the three plotting conspirators. Maze instinctively drew her demon knives, slightly hunching before Linda in a protective position, while Lucifer merely stared at the opening doors of the elevator suspiciously. His stance stiffened when he saw the man who stepped into his home: a complete and utter stranger. The man was slightly shorter than him and sported a full beard. His azure blue eyes rested on Lucifer as a small smile appeared on his lips. The man nodded repeatedly to himself, as if approving of what he saw.

 

“Terribly sorry to cut your visit so short, but I don’t believe I invited you in” Lucifer remarked sarcastically, however the man did not seemed fazed in the least. He merely took several steps forward towards Lucifer, ignoring Maze and Linda.

 

“You haven’t, indeed…” he spoke, his voice calm and composed, sounding almost melodic, “… and I’m not sure that you’ll want me inside your home when you realize who I am…”

 

“Well, all the more reason for you to leave now, then…” Although he meant to sound self-assured, Lucifer felt oddly uncomfortable in the presence of this man. He could not explain this feeling, which the devil hated. Not understanding his own emotions made him feel vulnerable and weak.

 

“Who are you?” Maze asked in a snappy voice, still in defensive mode. The man did not acknowledge her immediately, his eyes still analysing Lucifer closely. The devil refused to give him the satisfaction of looking away, no matter how much he wished to do so.

 

“Quite rude not to take someone on when they ask you a question” Lucifer said, his voice sounding less convinced.

 

“I hope you can forgive my rudeness, ladies” the man finally shot Maze and Linda a warm, albeit apologetic smile, “I merely wanted to enjoy this moment before revealing who I truly am and causing havoc…”

 

“Well then, out with it, chop chop” Lucifer urged, feeling more and more uncertain about the situation.

 

“Impatient, as always, Samael…”

 

The use of his angel name hit Lucifer like a mace to the head. Or like a kick to the guts. Whatever expression is most convenient, the name Samael evoked so many tragic memories in Lucifer that the devil felt his stomach churn painfully almost to the point of making him sick. All colour left his features and he felt himself get lightheaded. If he was not leaning on the counter of his private bar, Lucifer was convinced that his knees would have buckled underneath him.

 

“It can’t be…” he whispered to himself, but loud enough for everyone else to hear. The man offered him a melancholic smile, but made no movement towards the shaken devil, allowing him space and time to wrap his head around the revelation.

 

“What’s going on?” Linda asked Maze in a hushed tone, and was surprised to see her lover’s mouth agape in shock. It took a lot to disconcert Mazikeen. Meanwhile, Lucifer managed to straighten up and face the now more familiar stranger, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly in defiance.

 

“Hello, dad…”

 

At these words, the world appeared to stop spinning. The four people fell quiet, all eyes were on the newcomer. God did not mind the attention: after all, he had had a whole cult dedicated to him for millennia now. He was used to being the topic of controversy. He had eyes only for his son Samael, his rogue and rebellious child, who even in his anger looked confused and exposed. God felt a tinge of remorse at the look his son shot him. The rage in his eyes was unmistakable. Raising his hands in surrender, God addressed his son directly, trying his best not to sound condescending or patronising.

 

“Samael, I am not here to get you back to Hell or just generally to tell you what to do, I am here to help…” The derisive snort that escaped Lucifer was an indication of his disbelief.

 

“Since when do you want to help me, dad? Since when do you care?” Lucifer’s voice was dangerously calm, and God knew that it was only a matter of time before his son bombarded him with accusations. God was prepared for anything Lucifer wanted to throw at him.

 

“I cannot let one of my sons hurt an innocent human. Angels are meant to protect humanity, not try and destroy it. I want to help you stop Uriel and your mother from hurting Grace, Jacob and Amenadiel…”

 

“Oh yes, of course” Lucifer’s tone was dry and dripping with sarcasm, “you are only involved with your children when one of them does something you don’t like…”

 

“Samael…” God began, but his son interrupted him, his eyes a bright red.

 

“DON’T call me that… my name is Lucifer Morningstar, King of Hell. Or have you forgotten, father? YOU sent me to Hell to rule it for eternity. YOU exiled your own SON. And Amenadiel has the guts to tell me that I was your favourite? Tell me dad, how does that work? How can I be your favourite, and yet you saw it fit to separate me from my family for having an opinion? You loved humanity more than you loved us, dad! You stopped loving me!”

 

Once again, the room went silent. Linda and Maze had the decency to look away from the scene, the two of them feeling like they were intruding this family feud. Lucifer tried his hardest to hide the emotion in his eyes and to control his voice threatening to break. God, meanwhile, merely smiled at his upset son, having an answer for each issue he raised.

 

“Firstly, your name is Samael the Lightbringer, once the most beautiful angel in heaven and the most radiant soul I have ever created. But fair enough, I will acknowledge the identity you have created for yourself, Lucifer. It doesn’t make you any less of a son to me. Secondly, as any father would have done, I merely tried to bring you back onto the right path by sending you to Hell. I felt that since you hated humanity so much, you could still be of use to it by punishing the sinners you despised. And finally, Lucifer, I never loved humanity more than my children. I loved every aspects of my creation equally as much. Humanity merely needed my protection more, they are vulnerable, they are mortals… they need more attention. A fully-grown tree doesn’t need as much care as a young sprout. I never once stopped loving you, my son”

 

God’s words were touching, even _poignant_ to say the least. The usually heartless and cold demon’s breath caught in her throat, while Linda’s tears streamed freely down her face. She had not entirely recovered from the discovery that she was facing God himself, but even in her state of awe she had known better but to interrupt this father and son reunion. Meanwhile, Lucifer looked at his father with insecurity written all over his face. It looked like the devil did not know what to believe anymore. Millennia of contained rage that had been tormenting him were dangerously close to resurfacing. At the same time, Lucifer wished to put this anger away and make amends with his father. The devil was left with mixed feelings overwhelming him.

 

“Besides, son… I am glad that you have finally come around to liking certain humans, at least” God shot the teary doctor a warm look, “and I am glad to see that Mazikeen has been such a loyal friend to you. And as for Grace, well she truly has found a way into your heart. It is not surprising that she has, a radiant soul attracts another radiant one. But know this, Lucifer, she is not my doing. I know you believe that I try to dictate how to live your life, and although I gave her a little nudge in your direction, I have no power over her feelings. She fell in love with you twice, son, and from what I can see you care for her very, very much as well. Humanity is not that bad after all, is it?”

 

The lump in Lucifer’s throat made it hard for him to speak and his reply came out slightly croaky. The devil cleared his throat before carrying on.

 

“Why now? Why did you not try to save her the first time, dad? Why make me go through the pain of losing her, then finding her again with no recollection of who I am, of what we were? Why let Uriel kill _our_ unborn child?” At those words, God’s face fell ever so slightly.

 

“Lucifer, you know just as well as I do that Nephilim children are a liability…”

 

“You allowed it to happen…” Lucifer stated, matter-of-factly.

 

“Son, you have to understand that I couldn’t condone this…”

 

“You allowed an innocent being to be killed and you consciously put the innocent mother in great danger…” Lucifer’s jaw clenched in anger and his eyes were a constant bright red. Maze discreetly moved to the back of the penthouse, keeping Linda behind her safely. She could sense that the former King of Hell was close to exploding, and she assumed that God would strike back. This would either end in a temporary truce or in fireworks.

 

“There were other ways to do this than to let Uriel _stab_ my Grace… dad, she died. You let an innocent woman _die_ at the hands of your own son. What kind of God does that? You are nothing by a _hypocrite_ ” Lucifer hissed, and his words hit God hard.

 

“Samael, **enough** ” God’s booming voice ordered, surprisingly managing to shut up Lucifer as well, “I agree I made a mistake by allowing Uriel to use humans as a murder weapon. And I made up for that mistake by reviving Grace and ordering Uriel to give her a good life… and coming back to your initial question, I came to help now because balance needs to be restored. Now, do you want my help or not? If not, I will leave and never bother you ever again…”

 

Lucifer thought about his father’s words and shooting a glance at Maze and Linda, he knew that he had no other choice but to accept. The three of them had been brainstorming for hours and had not come up with a plan that could possibly take Uriel by surprise. But this? This was the proverbial Holy Grail. God in the flesh, quite literally, was willing to help them save Grace. Uriel would not in a million years see that coming. Lucifer knew he could not refuse this opportunity. His worry for the woman he loved was the driving factor in his decision-making process.

 

“Yes… I want your help. However, it doesn’t change the way I feel about you!” Lucifer added quickly, making his father smile knowingly.

 

“Of course not, son. Of course not…”

 

TBC.


	20. Chapter 19

Grace had been held in the warehouse for nearly two days now, and she started to feel the effects of dehydration. Her lips were dry and her mouth felt pasty as she swallowed the minimal amount of saliva her body still managed to produce. Her head was pounding as the bright, artificial light hit her eyes. Through the small fanlights, Grace noticed that the sun was sitting high in the sky, indicating that it must be around noon... or the afternoon, the young woman could not be entirely sure. Something she knew with dead certainty was that Uriel was becoming more and more agitated and impatient seeing that Lucifer was not falling for his trap. The angel usually let out his frustration by trying to demoralize Grace.

"He's not coming because he doesn't care" Uriel would often say. Variations of this statement included you don't truly matter in the grand scheme of things and Lucifer surely already found a shoulder to cry on..., heavily implying that crying was not the only thing the devil would be doing with another partner. Grace was not falling for Uriel's mind games, although the thought of Lucifer being with someone else did hurt her. She regularly had to actively refrain from over-thinking and re-affirm the trust she had for Lucifer. He will come, she would often repeat to herself, he will definitely come for me. He always used to come when she called, no matter the time of day or the situation at hand. He would always try to make her feel better about anything. Grace fondly remembered one occasion in particular.

"Lucifer?" Grace spoke into the phone, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What's the matter, darling?" worry was evident in his tone.

“I…”, suddenly Grace felt self-conscious about her impromptu call to her boyfriend. She could hear the blaring music in the background indicating that Lucifer was still at LUX. It was half past three in the morning and he was working, Grace should have known better than to disturb him, “you know what, never mind. It can wait until the morning” 

“No, it clearly can’t. Hang on a second, darling” Grace listened as the loud music and the noises of the people having a good time faded. Soon, all she could hair was the distant rumbling of car engines as they drove past the building. “Now, tell me what’s wrong…”

“It’s… it’s stupid” Grace bit her lip as she tried to hold back her tears, but her voice betrayed her panic. 

“It’s clearly upsetting you, so it can’t be stupid. Tell me what happened” Lucifer’s tone was soft, reassuring; he used this loving tone with nobody else but her and it always had the desired effect. Grace felt a small smile tug at her lips. 

“I’m going to fail my exam tomorrow and I’ve worked so hard for it. The professor is a dick, he always asks the worst questions with three hundred negations in one sentence just to confuse the hell out of us, and not to mention that it’s half fucking three in the morning and I can’t see myself going to sleep, damn Lucifer that exam is in six hours and…” 

The more she spoke the more Grace felt the panic rise in her and as tears streamed down her face, she wondered what Lucifer saw in her. He, who was always so self-confident and determined, what could possibly want with her? She heard him speak at the other end of the line, but in her state she could not make sense of his words. Embarrassed, she let the phone slide out of her hand and fall onto her bedsheets. Grace brought her knees close to her chest and buried her face in them, sobbing uncontrollably to the point of having difficulties catching her breath. She wasn’t sure how long she sat in that position, or when her back had started aching, but at some point arms wrapped around her shaking frame and pulled her close to a warm chest. She knew she should have been alarmed, but she recognised the comforting smell of Lucifer’s cologne fill her nostrils and the fact that he had come to comfort her brought fresh tears to her eyes. 

“Now, now… show me your pretty face” 

Grace shook her head against Lucifer’s chest, but he was having none of it. Gently grabbing her chin with two fingers, her boyfriend forced her to lock eyes with him, offering her a warm smile when their gazes met. 

“I cannot bear to see you so upset. If you are so convinced that you will fail this exam tomorrow due to a lack of sleep, don’t you think you should just aim to study better for the date of the resist?” Lucifer’s brown eyes, although not having lost their familiar sparkle, were filled with worry for his girlfriend’s well-being and Grace’s heart swelled at that realization. 

“Yeah… I guess I could do that. I’m just not used to failure…” she admitted. Lucifer chuckled softly, almost incredulously, as he brushed Grace’s tears away with his thumbs. 

“My dearest sweetheart, you are probably the most mature and wise young woman I know. So, I’m sure you will understand that giving up on your dream because of a failure is like slashing your other three tyres because one is flat…” 

“Where did you get that one from?” Grace asked, a round chuckle escaping her lips. 

“It was the quote in my fortune cookie” Lucifer confided, winking at his upset lover and rejoicing in the sound of her laugh. “That is much better, my love. No more tears, alright? You need to sleep” Grace nodded and leaned against Lucifer, pushing her revision sheets off the bed and getting comfortable in his arms. 

Grace hoped that one day, she would get to feel the warmth of her lover’s embrace once again. She desperately wanted to forget about everything that had happened in their relationship and finally be happy, without anyone bothering them.   
“Today is the day” Uriel announced, pulling Grace out of her reverie, “I can sense that Lucifer wants to act tonight, maybe tomorrow at the latest”

Despite herself, Grace felt her heart fill with hope at the mention of seeing Lucifer very soon, then again, she knew that this set-up was a trap. The young woman’s eyes met Amenadiel’s and Jake’s, and in their predicament, all of them knew one thing: their bargaining chip out of this mess was Lucifer. Quite literally. It was Lucifer’s imprisonment in exchange for their freedom. For Amenadiel and Grace, that was unacceptable, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. 

00000000000000000000

“You know, Lucifer” God’s voice broke the silence that had settled between him and his long-lost son in the Corvette, “I am rather surprised. Who would have thought that you would one day rush off to save a human…”

“Cut the crap, dad” Lucifer snapped, his brow furrowed in concentration as he checked his rear-view mirror to make sure Linda was still following, “I know you think that I’m weak and whipped. There’s no need to remind me of the pathetic joke of a devil I have become” 

Those words took God by surprise and he shot Lucifer a curious look. His heart ached at the thought that his son thought so lowly of himself. It was astonishing that the bringer of light had not yet realised how wrong he actually was. Then again, God thought to himself, how was he supposed to know? For millennia Lucifer had lived with the idea that he was not good enough for anybody, not even for his own family, who had banished him. 

“You truly have no idea, do you?” God started, his tone sad and apologetic. Lucifer shot his father a sceptic side-look.

“No idea about what?” 

“Grace… son, she doesn’t make you weak. If anything, she makes you stronger… too strong, maybe. That’s what’s scaring every angel in Heaven, Uriel was merely the first one to act…”

“Although I usually enjoy a good riddle, I am in no mood for your mystery prompts today” Lucifer’s irritation was noticeable in his tone and he pushed the gas pedal down further, speeding down the streets of Los Angeles and ignoring the blaring horns of other drivers, “so either tell me things straight or shut up…” 

“You have always liked things to be clear as day… you are not the light bringer for nothing, my son. What I mean by my earlier statement is that Grace brings out the angelic in you, Samael...”

“My name is Lucifer” the devil corrected between clenched teeth. His hands tightened around the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white and he could not drive faster if he tried. He stopped caring whether Linda and Maze managed to follow him; after all, Maze knew the way. 

“Well, Lucifer, in that case let’s approach my explanation from a different angle: Grace is reconnecting you with your angelic identity, and when you are with her the devil Lucifer gives way to the light bringer Samael… making more sense? “

“Not really…” Lucifer admitted, his jaw still taut. God shook his head, a small smile appearing on his lips. 

“You only ever hear what you want to believe, Lucifer…”

“You don’t know what I think” the devil snapped, pressing hard on the brakes as they approached a red light and stationary cars, “you have never understood me and my mind is a big mystery to you, isn’t it dad?”

“Is that so? You underestimate me, son. I know you better than you know yourself, I created you, remember? I know you inside and out. For instance, you are not as self-assured as you make it seem”

“I am plenty self-assured, old man, I am in fact so full of myself that there’s nearly no space for you and me both in this car. You won’t manage to make me doubt myself…”

“So, the fact that you are hiding your true form under a flesh suit is no indication that you hate what you’ve become?” God asked provocatively, knowing full well which buttons to push. Lucifer again lowered the gas pedal all the way down, slaloming between the still honking cars and angry drivers. 

“Humans can’t stand my true form…”

“Since when do you care about what people think?” God asked rhetorically, “I could come up with a similar question and ask why did it make you so happy the first time Grace accepted you for who you truly were? It boosted your confidence, did it not? It made you feel so good about yourself that you wanted to do it again, only this time it didn’t go so well, did it Samael?” 

“Stop talking or I swear…”

“Or what?” God’s rhetorical tone stung Lucifer more than he cared to show, “I am your only hope right now. Listen, son, I am not trying to antagonise you. I am trying to make you see that stubbornly holding onto the thought that you are worthless and undeserving of a happy ending is not only making you miserable, but everyone who cares about you, as well” 

Lucifer did not reply. He tried to hold back the angry tears that threatened to well up while swallowing the lump of emotion in his throat. He felt like a spoilt child ready to throw a temper tantrum after receiving a good scolding from his father. And this made him feel more vulnerable than Grace ever could manage. God was blaming Lucifer for his feelings of insecurities. He had some guts.

“Maybe if you hadn’t put these thoughts in my head in the first place, maybe if you hadn’t taken away my free will then maybe… just maybe, dad, I would not feel like a monster deserving to be hanged for his crimes against the villagers.”   
The Corvette was brought to a halt before God had the time to reply, “Linda and Maze are just behind us. Let the show begin” 

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The three prisoners jerked when they heard the rumbling of car engines from outside the warehouse where they were held hostage. Grace felt her heart leap in her chest, both in anticipation of what was about to happen to all of them, and also in delight at seeing Lucifer again. She wanted to tell him so much, but most importantly she meant to apologize for her behaviour a couple of days earlier when she had ran away from him. She shot Amenadiel a worried, albeit hopeful look, but the angel merely shook his head, indicating Grace to refrain from reacting. Uriel and Goddess meanwhile both jumped to their feet and observed the closed door carefully. Uriel had unlocked it several hours earlier, fully expecting Lucifer's visit. The grin on his face made him look excited about the events that were about to unfold before their eyes. The sight made Grace sick to her stomach. A glance at Jake told her that the man she had once believed to be her husband looked nervous. Sweat was running down the side of his head and his face was covered in a sheen of perspiration. His eyes betrayed his horror. Despite herself, the young woman felt a pang of pity for the man.

"I don't want to hurt you", Jake mouthed the words, exaggerating the action so Grace managed to understand what he was trying to tell her. Her heart broke when she read the confession off Jake's lips. He was no cold-blooded killer. The murder of his wife had never been intentional, Grace could tell. This man was terrified at the thought of going back to hell and Uriel was playing on that. She was facing a desperate man. 

"I know" she whispered back, offering him a genuine smile. 

"This is the end..." they all heard Uriel say, "this is when balance will be restored"

Grace felt her pulse in her throat and head and her palms were sweaty. Her shoulders had been twisted in an awkward position for two days and the uncomfortable strain had turned into an agonizing pain, her muscles screaming to be released. The rope around her wrists and ankles were rubbing against her skin, causing a painful rash to develop in those areas. She could feel her body slowly dehydrating and if she was to escape today, she hoped that someone would be able to carry her out. The young woman knew for a fact that she wouldn't be able to walk. She barely managed to keep her eyes open. 

The minutes that followed the sound of the car engines and that of the door creaking open felt like an eternity for the prisoners, and to their great surprise it was not Lucifer who appeared. Grace had never seen this man before, and his appearance made her uneasy on the one hand, for she could not tell whether he was her friend or ally, on the other hand she felt a strange feeling of peace wash over her. Uriel and Goddess looked confused to say the least. 

"I did not expect that" they heard Uriel mutter under his breath. The stranger frowned, the expression contrasting with his friendly features. 

"I'm sure you never did, Uriel. There is only one being in this whole creation who can outsmart even you regarding your predictions..." The statement confused Grace somewhat, but she noticed how Uriel instantly tensed at the words and she knew that he recognized the intruder. 

"Dad?" 

The revelation of the stranger's identity had the effect of a bomb. Goddess’ shocked gasp took even Grace by surprise, while Amenadiel merely looked at the stranger with newly found adoration in his eyes. Grace and Jake's mouths were agape. This could not possibly be God? The one and only big guy, the Creator of the world. Grace tried to reason with herself; I must be dreaming, she thought, I must have fallen asleep. She tried to pinch the back of her hand as hard as she could physically manage, but no amount of pinching managed to wake her up. This was real. This was all too real. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed Amenadiel's smile. 

"I am very, very disappointed in you, my son... I mean, from your mother, my own and dearest ex-wife, I expect this kind of behaviour. But you..." God's words made Uriel flinch and Goddess grimace distastefully. 

"What do you mean?" Uriel blurted out, sounding outraged to say the least, "I am doing your bidding, father, I'm keeping humanity safe. By sending Lucifer and mum back to hell, and killing the one human who can carry the devil's child, I am going to protect your creation from the greatest danger. Peace will come back to Earth" 

"There is no need to punish Grace for something she cannot control, I told you this the last time, Uriel. That is why I asked you to give her the best possible life after I resuscitated her, because she was innocent" God's tone was condescending, patronizing even, and that alone was a blow to Uriel's pride. The angel did not reply immediately, trying to find a justification for his actions. 

"She is a potential danger..."

"She is only a danger if she decides to use her unique abilities against us. For that matter, neither she nor Lucifer knew about her particularity. You have no right to hurt her, Uriel" 

Grace observed as God waved his hand absent-mindedly over his head and before they realized what was happening to them, the three prisoners felt their ties loosen around their bodies, freeing them. Blood flowed back to Grace's ankles and wrists, a feeling that she had taken for granted for so many years. Sitting in an upright position, Grace hissed in pain as she brought her hands too quickly from behind her back, feeling the stiffness of the muscles in her shoulders. Her wrists and ankles would sport the burn marks from the ropes for the next couple of weeks. 

"Lucifer needs to return to Hell, that place needs a ruler and you know it, husband" this time, it was Goddess' turn to speak. God shot her the iciest look he could muster, eyeing her up and down before answering. 

"It is my understanding that you were coveting the position for yourself, dearest wife" The comment managed to shut Goddess up. Before she could gather her wits to come up with a reply, a familiar voice resonated through the warehouse. 

"PARDON ME?" 

Grace would recognize the accented voice anywhere and she couldn't help the bright smile that illuminated her face at the sight of Lucifer bursting into the warehouse, looking beyond pissed. 

"Lucifer!" Goddess and Uriel cried out simultaneously. 

"The one and only King of Hell, at your bloody service" came the snarky reply, followed promptly by an accusatory "you were planning on overthrowing your own son?" Goddess looked uncomfortable. 

"Of course not, Lucifer..."

"LIAR" the devil roared, his eyes red in fury. Goddess jerked slightly, taking a couple of steps away from her son. Lucifer set out to close the distance between them, but the voice of his father stopped him in his tracks.

"Lucifer, I believe someone needs your immediate attention..." 

Lucifer instantly looked to where Grace was sitting, rubbing both her sore wrists in alternation. She stared back at him with relief written all over her face, although her eyes shimmered with fear. She was in bad shape, looking frail and weak, the dark rings under her eyes contrasting with her azure blue orbs. She managed a reassuring smile even in her pitiful state, her cracked lips bursting open and painting the soft skin with scarlet dots. It seemed that it took all of her strength to keep upright and only when Lucifer noticed her hands shake from the effort and prolonged dehydration, he went to kneel next to her, pulling her into a protective embrace. His hands came to stroke her head soothingly as his lips found their way to her forehead. That's when Lucifer saw Grace close her eyes and bite her already bloody lip in an attempt to hold back the flow of emotion that threatened to surface. Shushing her softly, Lucifer cupped her face in his hands and forced her to look up at him.

"Love, don't close your eyes" he orders softly, waiting until she opened them again to kiss her lips, "you need to stay awake, okay?"

"Lucifer, I remember everything" the sob she had been holding back wrangled its way past her lips "and I'm so sorry for everything I said..."

"Stop, keep your strength love, there will be plenty of time for talking later. I'm here and I'm not letting anything happen to you" Grace nodded tiredly, allowing her body to rest against Lucifer slackly. 

All eyes were on Lucifer and Grace, but they did not care. She was glad that Lucifer had come and Lucifer was over the moon that the woman he loved was, for the most part, okay. Uriel had not hurt her, not that Lucifer could see. Apart from the dehydration, she would be alright. This time, he had come on time.

"Now, Uriel, back to our conversation" God interrupted the moment of intimacy with his stern voice, looking at his son and ex-wife, "you two are going to let those prisoners go. This is a family matter, no point in involving strangers..."

"Just let mother take the lead in hell and leave me out of it" Lucifer cried out, meaning every single word he was saying, "let her be the Queen of Hell, for all I care..."

"Not five minutes ago you were calling yourself 'the one and only' King of Hell..." Uriel snapped, fed up with Lucifer always getting his way. The remark gave Lucifer food for thought. Looking down at the vulnerable human in his arms, the devil felt his heart clench in his chest. For Grace, he would give up everything, even his right to be the ruler of Hell. He played his father's words over and over again in his mind, engraving their meaning onto his brain. Maybe God was right, maybe when he was around Grace, Lucifer was more angel than devil. That would explain many things. However, whether he was ready to entirely give up on his devilish side and once again embrace the angel in him, that he was not convinced of. 

"I don't want to rule Hell if that means that I'll never get to see Grace ever again... not even in death will I see her again" The young woman looked up at Lucifer, furrowing her elegant eyebrows in confusion. Lucifer merely brushed his fingers against her cheek, "a person as pure would never have a place waiting for them in Hell..."

"I cannot allow your mother to rule hell, Lucifer..." God's voice announced. 

"How would I not be fit for the job? Lucifer did it for millennia, surely I could manage..." Goddess argued. Lucifer was about to challenge her insinuation when God interrupted him in a booming voice.

"I don't trust you with the punishment of the sinners. You are merely out for revenge against my creation, dearest wife" The last words were spoken with such spite that it very nearly hurt Goddess' feelings. 

"Lucifer hated the humans too when you put him in charge of hell, how was that any different?"

"Well, for starters" God took several steps towards his ex-wife, his voice dropping dangerously, "it was not I who wanted to exile him, but you. Secondly, for the years Lucifer has been in charge only the sinners were punished. I don't believe you possess that level of integrity. You are out for mindless revenge..."

"Mindless? You call it mindless, I call it justified. Dear husband" her voice softened as she went to grab God's hand, "I was jealous, and yes, I was wrong, but you have to understand. You created these atrocities, these imperfect sinful beings, and you love them more than your own wife... you love them more than your own children. I was scared that if I allowed this sort of behaviour towards humanity that one day, you would favour them over us. We needed you, husband, and you weren't there for us. Look at what happened with Lucifer... case in point" God and Goddess exchanged a look, but remained silent for the best part of the seconds that followed. 

"I would have never abandoned my family", God finally spoke from the bottom of his heart, "never. And it hurts to think that my whole family believed that I ever would choose one over the other. But it's too late now for an apology. It is clear that you all think that I cannot be trusted. I have come to terms with that. Now, you will have to come to terms with the fact that your plan has failed. Uriel will return to Heaven with me, and you will go to back to Hell, sadly not as its ruler" 

Suddenly, everything happened very fast. Lucifer saw it first and had the reflex to gently disentangle himself from Grace before running to restrain his mother, who in a moment of rage pulled out a blade scarily similar to Azrael's blade which Lucifer kept hidden in his penthouse. Uriel, who of course had anticipated the reaction, came between Goddess and his brother and punched Lucifer right in the face. Through his superhuman strength, Uriel's blow send Lucifer flying back to the other end of the room where he was met with the wall of the warehouse, causing the whole building to tremble under the impact. In this chaos, Amenadiel managed to get to his feet and get to his father's side in time to push him out of Goddess' line of aim. Her roar of frustration echoed against the bare walls and before she managed to have another go at her former husband, the whole room seemed to come to a halt. Grace felt as though her body was paralyzed and the only muscles still in operation were those in her eyes. A quick analysis of the situation told her that God had somehow frozen everyone present in the warehouse, allowing for some reflection as to how to counter his ex-wife. Taking the deadly blade out of her hand, God shook his head in disappointment. 

"Azrael's blade... on top of stealing from your own son, you tried to kill me with the blade I myself created... you really never learn, do you Goddess?" God lifted the spell with a snip of his fingers and the feeling of paralysis left Grace and everyone present in the room. Lucifer groaned in pain as he managed to get back onto his legs while Grace and Jake, the only humans in this room, held their breaths in anticipation. When God spoke again, his voice sounded louder, almost as if they were hearing him through powerful speakers. Grace cowered back in fear when the creator of life spoke again to his former wife, "I am the all-knowing Lord of creation, do you really thing you can kill me? Do you think you can kill God? You know that kind of hubris cannot be left unpunished..."

"Please, husband... it was a moment of desperation, I never thought for one second that it could hurt you..."

"LAPD, DROP YOUR WEAPONS"

Grace looked towards the entrance of the warehouse, recognizing Detective Decker in her bulletproof vest, holding a gun in her hand ready to fire anyone who posed a threat to civilians. While a whole unit of agents burst into the building, Grace shot another look to God and Goddess only to find that both had vanished. Grace narrowed her eyes and looked all over the place, but this only confirmed her theory that the two belligerents had indeed disintegrated into thin air. When Grace met Lucifer's eyes, she saw that his confusion equalled hers. Grace noticed how two male agents knelt beside her, asking her a million questions a minute and telling her that an ambulance was on its way. Meanwhile, Amenadiel observed the chaotic scene in silence and Jake seemed paralyzed with fear. When Chloe's eyes fell on Uriel, a man she had never seen before, her cop instincts instantly kicked in. She pointed her weapon at Uriel, demanding for him to reveal his identity in her best authoritative tone. Grace noticed the smile on the angel's face and her heart dropped in her chest.

"Detective, what a pleasure" pretending to grab his gun from his pocket, he ignored Chloe's warning to keep his hands above his head. When he did not comply with her orders, Chloe aimed for his leg and shot. What happened next seemed to happen in slow-motion. Grace noticed how Uriel, like his parents before him, disappeared suddenly, leaving Grace in the bullet's trajectory. The young woman distantly heard Lucifer shout her name in alarm and closing her eyes, Grace prepared herself to receive the bullet. The pain she expected to feel never came. Instead, as her eyes were still shut, she heard a loud thud as if a body had dropped mere inches away from her. Her breath caught in her throat when she understood what must have happened. Someone took the bullet for her. Panic overwhelmed her senses as she imagined seeing Lucifer's wounded body before her and for several seconds, she refused to open her eyes. 

"Grace, love, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Grace's eyes shot open when she heard Lucifer's voice close to her ear, promptly followed by him pulling her into his arms. Such was her panic that she had forgotten that Lucifer was immortal…

"Lucifer? But how can you..." Grace's eyes met the devil's worried brown pools and her confusion merely grow, "if you are here, then who..."

And that's when it hit her and her theory was confirmed when she laid eyes on Jake's lifeless body. 

TBC


	21. Chapter 20 - Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys I am so emotional and proud of myself for finishing my first long fic. Thank you all so much for the patience and for your loyal reading. To all those who commented, thank you so much for being so passionate about Grace's story.
> 
> I'm sure I will see you very soon with another story. (Little surprise for you: I might start working on a sequel/prequel... If people have interest)
> 
> Thank you all so much. Rose_SK xx

What did I tell you? Being God actually sucks.

Back in Heaven after his little visit to the world, God allowed himself to relax for the first time in what felt like days. Contrary to what people may believe, the creator had a very bad sense of time beyond the knowledge that there were seven days in a week, and twenty-four hours in a day on this particular planet. All that other stuff: dates, holidays, and all the man-imposed principles were rather foreign to him still. He could not keep up with all the changes and with the different calendars used by different group of humans. God could not explain why humanity insisted on making things difficult for themselves, but that was just him. 

Anyhow, the past events had drained God. After he and Goddess disappeared, he had to deal with a rather pissed off ex-wife, which he had done. Goddess was not sent back to Hell, God fearing that she would somehow managed to wriggle her way up to the top of the hierarchy and he could not let that happen. Instead, Goddess had been imprisoned in one of Heaven's most well-guarded prisons for the time being, until God decided what her punishment should be for conspiring against humanity. Uriel had also returned back to Heaven, thinking that God did not know about his little stunt against Grace. He was sadly very mistaken, and had also been put behind bars for now. God knew that it was only a temporary solution, but it would have to do for now. As for Lucifer? Well... 

Lucifer probably had still not forgiven God for what had happened to him, and yes the creator understood why, but he was not too worried about that. Lucifer would come around, eventually. However, the relationship between him and the fallen angel was probably less tense. At least, Lucifer had stopped sending accusatory prayers his way, which was probably already as good a start as any. God knew that Grace had a lot to do with that. 

A year after the incident at the warehouse (or at least, it had probably been a year in human time, but it was impossible to tell how many days in Heaven that equaled to), Lucifer and Grace were happier than ever. It had taken them all this time to recover from the ordeal they had been through, but it looked like they were finally on the right way. Immediately after Grace returned home safe, there had been a period of adaptation where Lucifer would not let the young woman out of his sight even for an hour and where Grace would often wake up from a nightmare covered in sweat and screaming in fear, while Lucifer desperately tried to reassure her that she was fine. It also took Detective Decker several weeks to get used to the idea that a) her roommate was a demon and b) that her partner was the actual Lucifer Morningstar. After she had wrapped her head around the idea, life returned back to normal for her as well (or at least, as it normal as it gets with demon and devil friends). 

And then, of course, Grace had finally be able to mourn the death - or rather murder - of her unborn child. 

 

And let me tell you, she did mourn her dead infant. God knew for a fact that this innocent soul had returned back to Heaven, it was surprising that Uriel either did not realize that this would happen or simply did not understand the way Heaven and Hell worked. Grace had pleaded Lucifer to have a funeral for the child, something the fallen angel was at first reluctant to grant. But seeing the pain in Grace's eyes was too difficult for him and he had eventually caved in. They did not have a traditional church ceremony, but rather a symbolic remembrance ceremony, just the two of them, on the roof of Lucifer's penthouse. No words were exchanged that day. Grace had thrown the petals of a single rose into the wind and had shed the tears that so desperately needed to come out. Lucifer had merely held her close, allowing her time to mourn the death of their child. He, however, had expressed no feelings. That did not mean in the least that he had felt nothing in that instant. He was just being good old Lucifer. 

It had only gone uphill from that day forward. In fact, just recently they had decided... wait, I think you would rather see this for yourself rather than have God tell you about it. 

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"Where are you taking me, Lucifer?" Grace asked inquisitively, letting her boyfriend guide her while his hands covered her eyes to keep a semblance of mystery intact. 

"Patience was never really your strong suit, was it darling?" Lucifer retorted rhetorically, letting out a muffled groan of surprise when Grace managed to elbow his ribs from her position. His reaction made the young woman giggle in triumph. 

"That was not very nice..." the devil complained in mock exasperation, "and here was me trying to do something nice for you..."

"I'm sorry, but you kinda deserved it" Grace could not get rid of the giddy smile plastered on her face. She felt the ground beneath her feet change and instead of the hard surface of what must have been a pedestrian walk, she felt her sandal-clad feet sink softly into soft, cool sand. Her curiosity once again tickled, the young woman tried to walk faster only to be held back by Lucifer, who chuckled softly at her attempt to get to the destination quicker. 

"Don't run away from me now" he joked. The two came to a halt after only a couple more steps, but Lucifer still kept Grace's eyes covered. Her excitement was barely containable and the sight of her so happy made Lucifer's heart skip a beat. Eventually, when he got bored of making the suspense last, Lucifer uncovered Grace's eyes. When she looked around her, she had to admit that she had imagined a lot of different scenarios, but certainly not this. She was surrounded by... well, the sand and the sea. That was all, nothing extravagant, nothing overly zealous like Lucifer liked to do. Just them, the beach and the waves crashing onto the shore. 

"Where are we?" she asked, intrigued. Lucifer smiled like a child at Christmas. 

"Well, the beach!" he replied matter-of-factly, spreading his arms wide motioning at their surroundings, "surprise!" 

"I don't understand... why did I need to keep my eyes closed for this?" Grace frowned when Lucifer laughed out loud at her question. His hands came to rest on her shoulders as his lips placed a soft kiss on her forehead. 

"Well, turn around and see for yourself" he instructed. Grace raised an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder only to see... more sand, only this time in the background she noticed the skyscrapers and busy roads. She was unsure of what she was meant to see and turning her attention back onto Lucifer, she started to feel like he had played a prank on her. She held back a disappointed sigh. 

"There's nothing there?"

"No" Lucifer confirmed, his smile only growing. He was up to something, Grace could feel it. 

"So, I'm going to ask again, what are we doing here?" Grace started to feel frustrated with the whole thing and just wanted a clear answer from her boyfriend. Lucifer took her hands in his and pulled her close to his chest. 

"Let me ask you a question, darling. Don't think that this beach, the sea and the sunset are a beautiful sight to behold?" The question took Grace by surprise. 

"Yes, of course. You know I love the ocean, but what..."

"And do you think that it needs anything more to be beautiful?" Lucifer interrupted. 

"No, I guess not, nature is always prettiest when it's left wild, but Lucifer..."

"Exactly. In its simplicity, this beach, the ocean, the sunset, the wind in our hair, the sound of the waves, the salty smell... all of this is beautiful without the need for any artificiality. Those are impressions that will never cease to amaze people and make them feel at peace. So in a sense, it only makes sense that I take you here" his eyes locked with Grace's, her eyes still mirroring her confusion, "because just like the smell of the sea and the sound of the waves, you my dear, will never fail to be beautiful in my eyes. And you will forever fill me with a sense of peace and comfort" 

"Wow..." Grace was at loss for words, "Lucifer, that was very... poetic" 

"Why are you so surprised?" Lucifer asked with a grin and a cheeky wink, "I'm an avid reader of Beaudelaire and Edgar Allan Poe..."

"Two completely different styles..." Grace commented.

"Not if you read them properly..." Lucifer argued, stealing a kiss from the glowing woman standing before him, "but that is beside the point. I don't ever want to be without you again, Grace, and that is why..." 

Lucifer was interrupted by the deafening sound of plane engines flying seemingly just above their heads. Looking up, Grace shielded her eyes from the warm light of the setting sun and noticed a banner plane passing them at this exact instant. The banner read the words Will you be my wife? followed by a devil emoji. Looking back at Lucifer, Grace realized that he had dropped to his knees and was holding a black velvet box in his hand. Grinning devilishly, he opened it and revealed a diamond ring. Grace could not hold back an incredulous laughter. 

"You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" she said, feeling tears of happiness fill her eyes. Lucifer merely shrugged. 

"I had to make this memorable somehow. You know me, I don't come without some form of extravaganza" Grace dropped to her knees and hugged Lucifer tightly, placing tender kisses on his neck and working her way to his lips, where she caught them in a passionate kiss. 

"Of course I'll be your wife, Lucifer" 

THE END.


End file.
